Heartless Strike
by Stormin Mormon
Summary: Sequel to Confrontation of Enemies. John was certain that having defeated Skynet itself, nothing could stop them. But Skynet had finally discovered what it believed John's ultimate weakness: his love for Cameron. John/Cameron
1. Insecure Masculinity

A/N: The fourth story in the series, here it is. Funny, never thought I'd do it, but enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own T:SCC. I created Joseph, I created Project Vader, and I came up with this thought of plot. Don't sue; I'm in college and broke.

Heartless Strike

Chapter One

Insecure Masculinity

"Cam," John wheezed, "Wait up a moment. I'm not…Joseph." Cameron did dutifully turn and watch John stumble into a standing position. Her eyes scanned his movements and breathing rate, before deciding that his physical efficiency rate was dangerously low. If they were assaulted at that moment, he would not be able to fight. Cameron usually prided the fact that John could. But right now the teenager was exhausted and leaning heavily against the wall. It was not his fault that he could not keep up with her at a dead sprint over a two mile distance uphill. He was only human after all; maybe he could handle a one mile run uphill.

"You c…certainly…know how to set…pace," John breathed, trying to stand up and take in more air. It wasn't working too efficiently, because he kept bending back over. She moved up and helped hold him up. _Storing data for later………John cannot run two miles uphill; suggest trying two miles on flat ground at proper time._ What surprised her was when John still tried to stand up on his own. Was he rejecting her in some way? Cameron felt a tiny pang of sadness from her automated emotion simulator. John had never done that before. Had she offended him? She began running visuals of the past forty eight hours.

"You are upset with me," Cameron stated, doing her best keep the unhappiness out of her voice. John felt terrible on the spot; he couldn't believe that he had just made Cameron think he was angry at her. He tried to steady his breathing.

"Cam," he whispered, putting his hands on her cheeks and bringing her face close to his. Cameron felt her CPU begin to heat up, and her skin was suddenly warm. "I could never, ever, be angry with you. That has nothing to do with it. I'm just…well…um…I'm jealous of you." _Replaying back John's message………replaying message again; analyzing expression………expression during message is embarrassed………analyzing what I have John does not………_

"You are jealous that you do not have a uterus and breasts?" Cameron asked. John's expression was dumbstruck, and he mouthed a few words she could not decipher. There were several meanings that could be in his movements, and she set to calculating which one it was. John meanwhile, was thinking, _Did…did she really just say that? Cameron said that? Who has she been talking to? What on earth makes her think…_Cameron continued, "Does this mean yes, John?"

His mind went on alert to deny any such request as quickly as was humanly possible. "NO! NO NO NO!" John shouted, panicking. Cameron cocked her head to the side; John was erratic when he appeared this way. He tended to deny things or act in ways that did not fit his pattern. He had done this similarly when she had first believed that since he loved her, she did not have to be dressed. He had quickly corrected her. He must be about to correct her here too. She was right. "Cameron, it has nothing to do with the fact that you have those. It has to do with the fact…well…" He began to turn red again. She listened intently, wondering what it was. "…that you can physically best me."

She was confused. "It is true that my physical capability is superior to yours. But that is to be expected: I am a cybernetic organism who is crafted from future technology, and you are a human from a long slow line of evolution. Is it bad that I am strong?" she asked. John's face twisted as he sighed. _Analyzing………John is in deep thought; I have asked a difficult question._

"It's not bad that you're strong, Cam," John explained. He shuffled his feet; how was he supposed to tell the one he loved he felt like a wimp? Especially when that one was a machine who had not fully developed a sense of what was normal to talk about. "It's just, I feel like a weakling whenever you do something physically impressive, like rip a door off its hinges, or swing something through a wall."

"Should I stop doing these things? I do them to protect you."

"No, it's not that; I kind of, you know, feel inferior when you do something normally the man in the relationship should be doing. It's…an inferiority complex," John explained. Cameron's processes reviewed the definition in her memory from the dictionary. It was difficult for her programming to compute that John would have one; he was perfect to her, for a human. He was jealous that she was stronger, but yet he said it was important that she was. A few processes crashed trying to follow John's logic. John watched her think, and his mind temporarily strayed to how she did look in the moonlight. He nearly forgot what they were talking about before Cameron spoke.

"You are unhappy that you are not stronger?" Cameron asked. _Processing………solution: unsolvable problems are part of marriage Reminder: must work on wedding arrangements………solution is not correct; searching………analyzing………solution found; checking memory: John: Questions: Answers: Confusing………applying…….._ "Is this a male thing?" Cameron asked.

John raised an eyebrow. "Where did you hear that expression?" he asked. Part of him was glad she knew what he was talking about.

"From you."

"I never remember saying it."

"You will. You said that you would explain it later."

"Oh," John finished. "Yes, this is a very important guy thing." One of Cameron's processes stored 'Male Thing' under undefined solutions, while another correlated guy and male. He simply watched her, and couldn't believe that he was going to be married to her soon. Seven weeks after the events with Skynet, and there had been little trouble. Other than the trouble they had chasing down leads, killing Terminators, and convincing Joseph not to sniff people's hands when they shook. One poor man had run away screaming cannibal; Joseph had not quite understood why he thought he would eat him when there was food on the shelves nearby. Nobody had wanted to explain it.

"We are approximately 2.03 miles away from our starting position," Cameron ran off, computing numbers. "There are no sirens yet and there likely will not be for another forty-seven seconds. Home is nearly .7452 miles away, and we have not been pursued." John nodded, his breath caught.

"We should get home, Cam," John decided. "I don't want to be questioned by police again." Cameron nodded and began walking. _Trust Cam to attack a car because the drunk driver who flipped me off had a weapon. Was funny to see his face when she flipped the car over. We'll have to talk about that._ He walked after her and put his arm around her waist. Cameron rested her head on his shoulder slightly, so as not to crush John. "And Cam?"

"Yes John?"

"It's not normal to talk about female body parts."

Cameron stored the information under her list of inappropriate topics for conversation. That file was quickly becoming as large as her file on John. A strange list of what John called innuendos were piling in as well. Derek seemed not to be as informed as she was, as he constantly brought up topics that were on the inappropriate list, such as the phrase, 'tooting his own horn.' She still had not made the correlation to that and male anatomy. Perhaps it was something was understandable after more years of activation.

*****

"I heard a car was flipped a few minutes ago." Sarah's voice was the only noise John could hear as he and Cameron entered the kitchen door. Derek was at the table, staring hard at the woodwork, while Joseph was out of sight; he had developed the habit of hiding under the couch when there was a loud noise or trouble he couldn't handle. Sarah counted as trouble he couldn't handle. Sarah was trouble nobody could handle, except perhaps a faster pair of legs. "They say whoever did it was a female, and that she had a boy accomplice along with her. Who could that be John?"

She was definitely angry. Either she was overly suspicious of Cameron, or something else had already upset her, because she had never held a knife in her hand before when confronting him about Cameron's antics. Usually it was a gun, but John feared the knife more. The knife took longer to kill you, and it hurt a lot more than a quick shot. "Cameron thought that he was a hostile, Mom. He was armed and somewhat aggressive." _That's definitely not going to fly. If it didn't make me look so guilty, I would have Cameron massage my shoulders. She's good at that, and she's a good kisser too…_

"Well the 'threat to John' is now going to be at the hospital for a few days, and you had better hope that he had not gotten a good look at either of you, because the police are bound to chasing after whoever did it," Sarah threatened. John wished Cameron was in-between them. He put on his best rebellious teenager and tried to mix it with future BA leader of the human resistance look. The unwavering expression his mother was giving him told him that it wasn't working. He began to formulate an idea on to get away before she did try to punish him. Fortunately, she left of her own accord, leaving him in a puddle of sweat. The puddle got larger when he heard what sounded like the knife sharpening.

Now Cameron put a hand on his shoulder. Her slender touch against the skin on his neck did calm him slightly, and he reached back and touched her hand before heading towards the fridge. As he was opening the door, Joseph's head peeked out from under the couch. _How does he even fit under there?_ "It's safe," Derek told him, no longer interested in the table and pulling a bottle of alcohol out from under the table. _So that's why Mom's so angry; Derek brought another bottle home. She hates it when he does that, which is part of the reason he does it likely._

Secure that his life was not threatened again, Joseph slithered into the kitchen, took a sandwich off the counter, and left just as quickly. Derek rolled his eyes and took a sip of his drink. He watched lazily as John got food and suspiciously as Cameron followed him. His watching took a turn for the serious as he noticed that John was down about something as well. Taking a drink to wet his throat, he called out to John. "What's wrong with you? She didn't do anything to do you, did she?" Derek knew how they ended up, but that didn't mean he hoped otherwise.

John sighed. _Even my uncle has noticed it? I must be wearing a sign that says WARNING insecure masculinity male walking. Beware of outbursts and failed attempts to increase confidence. I mean if Cameron and Derek notice it, then even John Henry could notice it. Well, better now and to Derek than later and to Mom._ "It's nothing Cameron did to me. It's just that she's the strong one, and I'm not. You know what I mean," John said. Cameron watched as Derek's face changed. Apparently Derek did know exactly what John was talking about, and that confirmed that it was a male gender concept. Perhaps that was why she could not compute it.

"You mean you're upset that she's tough one? I can see what you're talking about?" Derek's expression turned darker. "Yeah, it must be tough be out muscled by your girlfriend. How much does she bench again?" He leaned back, putting his hands behind his head and putting his feet up on the table. "I mean, let's think: who does the heavy lifting and fighting? Oh yeah, Cameron." _Shut up, Uncle._ "Must really suck for you. Hello, my name is John Connor, I'm meant to save humanity and my metal girlfriend wears the pants. Sucks for you, especially when you're supposed to be the 'in charge' one. How is your ego—"

Derek did not get any farther, because he suddenly threw himself up from where he was standing. Moving from the table, he threw open the window, dived out, and began running as Sarah bounded around the kitchen corner and out the door, knife still in her hand. John smiled as he saw who was faster. _Huh. Wonder who wears the pants in _that _relationship. Don't forget that you like my mom, either._ He nearly threw up on remembering that his uncle crushed on his mother. Cameron turned towards him confused. "What does 'wear the pants' mean? Should I not be?"

"No, it doesn't mean literally. When someone talks about who wears the pants, it means who is in charge in the relationship," John explained. Cameron cocked her head in that cute way that made him want to kiss her. "In a relationship, it's not usually an equal thing. Usually one person tends to make more of the decisions than the other and keep things in order. Sort of like a power thing."

Cameron understood. "And Derek was inferring that I 'wear the pants' in our relationship. But what was he basing his analysis on? You make decisions that I follow."

"He was basing it on which one of us is physically stronger," John explained. Cameron stared at him; the logic did not make sense. "It's a guy thing." Cameron's curiosity was satisfied. But then John continued. "For example, you could chase me away brandishing a knife, and I would be helpless to stop you."

"I do not wish to hurt you. I love you."

"I love you too, Cam. But in principle, in theory, you would be the one who would be chasing me. I couldn't chase you away with a knife," John said. Cameron stored it under a new file: Guy thing.

"Thank you for explaining," Cameron said, and John knew he hadn't explained it well. _Why do machines have to ask the most difficult questions._ But Cameron said nothing of it and told John his calorie intake was low. John ate. While he was eating, Sarah and Derek returned. Sarah came in first, looking in good spirits from having a physical struggle. Derek came in a moment longer, a cut on his arm. He eyed where Sarah went before sitting back at the table and dabbing his wound with some of his drink. John said nothing and tried to hide the smile he had; he would blackmail his uncle with that later.

Once John had finished eating, he joined Cameron in sitting on the couch. He nearly regretted it when Cameron reached for a blue binder that he had come to hate. She opened it and began to mathematically calculate costs that would be for their wedding. John really wished Sarah would help her with this; he had no clue what to do, and Cameron knew nothing more than costs. _Why can't her strangely intuitive fashion sense help her with this?_ He looked over ten minutes later to see his uncle grinning again and tapping his jeans.

Derek's expression was gone when Cameron rose and reached for a combat knife. "In principle I would be the one chasing you, John," she said to the man she loved, "so comparatively this should work just as well." Derek made sure John saw the finger he flipped him before taking off again. John decided he liked working on this as he watched the second footrace. Cameron was much faster than Sarah.


	2. Her List, His Confidence

A/N: If they discontinue that show now, I'm going to be pissed as hell. It cannot end on that note.

Chapter Two

Her List, His Confidence

John woke up with a sweat on his brow. His eyes fluttered slowly before opening as he attempted to connect with his surroundings. He groaned inwardly when he realized that it was still night. He likely had had another nightmare or freaky dream, and now that he had tried to see what was around him John probably wouldn't get back to sleep for a long time. He sighed and stared at the ceiling; a trickle of sweat ran down his arm. He decided to circumvent his thoughts towards figuring out why he was so warm tonight while running fingers through Cameron's hair.

_Cameron's hair?_ John's senses became more alert, and he was aware that his hand was indeed in the Terminator's hair. In fact, he was suddenly aware that he was much warmer and heavier. His eyes flicked to his left to see Cameron's unwavering gaze, brown pools watching him softly. He suddenly realized that she was on top of him, and had her limbs wrapped around him. He sincerely hoped right now that this was a dream. If it was a dream, it was a nice one. If it wasn't a dream, then he had questions buzzing inside of his head. "Cameron?" he asked.

"You have not attained the required amount of hours asleep, John," she said quietly. "You need to return to sleep."

"Cam, it's not that I don't enjoy your company, but why are you on me?" he asked.

"Your body temperature was dropping, and there was a possibility you would get a cold."

"You could've just pulled the covers back over me, you know," John told her. He felt his will weaken when Cameron's eyes flicked over him with what had to be a hint of humanity and something else.

"I know," she answered. John struggled to restrain himself. Cameron fortunately provided a good distraction. "You require sleep, John."

"I can't right now," John explained, his eyes locked within hers. "I'm too awake." _Especially after waking up from being too hot and then finding you sprawled over me. This will definitely be a plus when we get married. I still can't believe she got my mother to go along with this. Ah well; time to start counting sheep. One sheep, two sheep…_

"Would you want me to tell you a bedtime story?" Cameron asked. Seeing the surprised look on John's face, she added, "You once said your mother told them to you when you were younger. If it will assist you in returning to a theta-delta brain pattern, then I will narrate one."

John could not see his Cameron telling a bedtime._ Her version of the three little pigs would have the wolf driving a Bradley battle tank and the pig in the brick house with a Jaguar rocket launcher. On any other occasion, that would be funny, but right now I want to get back to sleep. That and I won't be able to think straight tomorrow if I'm busy remembering Cameron all night._ "How about you tell me your list of favorite things? Do you have one?" he asked.

"I can formulate one in .79 seconds," Cameron told him. John gave the slightest nod, and her processes combined to complete the list. "Favorite thing number one is not a thing. It is a person. My first favorite thing is you. I love you."

John started to close his eyes to rest, listening to her voice. He mumbled that he loved her too, and Cameron felt a tinge of joy in her emotion simulator. She continued down her list. "My second favorite thing is how you smell. It is a pleasant aroma." John's eyes opened a little to glance at her with an amused smile. "Close your eyes, John." His look remained skeptical. She calculated what was funny to him. "You have a pleasant aroma. I have found several processes autonomously displaying objectives to take your shirt for the smell." _So that's what happens to my shirts, and why they're all over the place. I can't be blamed on that._ He closed his eyes again and let her continue.

"My third favorite thing is the set of emotions that are created by my emotion simulator whenever you are the source of emotion. My fourth favorite thing is your physique; you are in good health and I prefer your physique over that of other male humans," Cameron explained. _At least one of us likes it; I wouldn't mind being stronger, and being the tough one. But Cameron likes me…_ "My fifth favorite thing is your lips." John's eyes shot open again. He looked at Cameron, his heart starting to pick up speed. Cameron's face was blank, but there was something in her eyes. "They taste nice when we are kissing," Cameron told him.

John's mouth watered. He found himself thinking about Cameron's lips; his body began to ache. He moved forward and brought his lips to hers, and Cameron did not object to the kiss. He kissed her as long as he could, until he found himself asleep again. Cameron backed away slowly and watched John's body go limp as he slept again. She stored the data for further time, when John would not sleep. She continued to watch him in sleep in absence of something to do; Joseph was patrolling the yard. And she enjoyed watching him sleep.

*****

The spray of bullets nearby alerted John to where the T-888 was now directing his aim. He didn't duck down but unloaded more automatic fire into the Terminator. It had caught him, Cameron, and Derek on the way to the store for groceries. After Cameron had flipped their car over to serve as a barrier, Derek and John were standing behind it while Cameron was attempting to flank it, standing out in the open. So far the T-888 was changing fire on them every so often, a shotgun in one hand keeping Cameron from getting too close, and an automatic to attack Derek and John. John hadn't taken cover or ducked down once, and Derek was getting concerned about it.

"John! Get down!" Derek shouted at him. _The kid must be either really stupid today or really crazy. Hopefully it's the first one._ "They're called Terminators for a reason! Get down before the metal shoots you!" John didn't answer at first, still plugging away into the T-888.

"I don't need to," John replied as he loaded another magazine into the assault rifle. Seeing the incredulous look in his uncle's expression out of the corner of his eye, John added, "The law of consistency refuses to let me die before I can send everybody back. So I'm pretty much immortal right now. Scientifically the Terminator can't hit me." He fired again as Cameron moved slightly closer to the Terminator. _He's definitely both. Hasn't he thought that maybe he won't get shot because somebody—like me—takes the hit for him? He needs a good hit in the head, or the future's screwed._

Derek ducked around the car and fired at the Triple Eight's legs. It turned the shotgun towards Derek as he hid back behind the car, and the brief move was all Cameron needed to get close. Dropping her gun she closed the distance between herself and the T-888. Her knife was out and ready in the same motion that drove the blade through the weak spot in the endoskeleton skull. The T-888 slumped and fell back as Cameron pulled her knife back out of the endoskeleton. She walked over to the car to right it. John and Derek moved out of the way, and Derek took his nephew aside.

"Look, just because of that law thing, it doesn't mean that you can just run around doing what you feel like," Derek warned. "Just because you're John Connor doesn't mean that you're invincible. We don't need you having some messed up issues because something terrible happened because you thought nothing could go wrong. Got it?" John gave Derek a typical teenage defiant look, and Derek got the message that he wouldn't be able to get through to John, yet. He moved to help Cameron with the Triple Eight body.

"John did not duck during the fight," Cameron noted. She singlehandedly threw the T-888 body in the back of the car. "His risk exposure was too high." Derek noticed that her voice changed when she talked about danger to John. _I know it, but that doesn't mean I have to like the metal. Still, she should be able to talk some sense into him._

"He needs somebody to explain that he's not immortal," Derek replied. Cameron turned to face him.

She closed the trunk. "You think I should tell him?" Cameron asked. _Recalling memory………matching comparisons: zero; Derek has never asked me to talk to John………store change in behavior and observe for more; change is imminent._

"Seeing as how you could ask him to walk to the east coast and he'd run, yeah," Derek muttered, heading for a car door. Cameron didn't answer this time and got back in the driver's seat. She noticed John and Derek had a little bit more trouble with their doors; the right side was partially crushed and the side mirror was gone. That would reduce her ability to spot obstacles by 7.9%. She duly noted it and drove off, leaving only Terminator blood and empty rounds to mark a small struggle.

_Recording Personal File #79843………attacks on John are becoming more sparse; Skynet seems to have reached a conclusion that is beyond my capability to estimate; Skynet, based on previous knowledge, will not stop; it would be prudent to begin expecting a new stratagem to destroy John Connor and implement defensive protocols as soon as possible. John is becoming bolder in attacks against Terminators. Derek Reese was correct in his hypothesis; John must know that recklessness is a futile defensive protocol for counterattacking T-888 models. I will implement a confrontation at the purchasing facility. End of Record; Now scanning for hostile targets and obstacles………Resuming task 'weekly shopping'………_

Their car, slightly damaged on the right side, nevertheless made it to the store without any further problems. Derek got out and headed in, followed by John and Cameron. Derek, the oldest there, was in charge and so had the shopping list. He grumbled about some of the things Sarah had placed on the list. _Why do we need so many different types of vegetables? Just get a lot of potatoes and a lot of just bread; we don't need cereal or pasta because we've got bread and pancakes. And what on earth is vanilla? Or Pillsbury for that matter; both of them say for John and Cameron to get them. And I'm not even going to touch the tampon; that one's all Cameron's. It better not be for the bloody metal._

"Hey," Derek called to them. "John, look at this and see the specific things your mother wants you to pick up." He handed the list to John, who looked over it with Cameron. _You would think that all of that fugitive running would make my mom more subtle in her shopping lists; it's a good thing Derek doesn't know what those make. Wait…_tampons?!_ Cameron's holding onto those. I hope Mom doesn't intend to give one to Cameron, that's just awkward._ John handed the list back to Derek, who left to go find milk and a shopping cart. Both men were disturbed by the last item on the list.

"Do you remember everything?" John asked Cameron.

"Yes," Cameron replied. She cocked her head to the side. "Do you?" John smiled and sighed; they headed to the isle with the Pillsbury dough. John stayed out of the isle when Cameron stopped on the way to pick up two boxes of tampons. He sincerely—and feeling quite disgusted with himself at the same time for thinking about the subject—hoped that a woman needed two. _I don't want to think it, but hopefully she's stocking up. Yuck._ John was glad when they arrived in the requested it and began picking up what Sarah had specially requested. At one point, Cameron reached high for something, and the hem of her shirt lifted slightly. John felt another urge to kiss her, and decided it would be fine to kiss her cheek. He leaned forward…

…and kissed the tampon box.

Immediately the future savior of humanity jerked back as though he'd been burned. He felt a terrible urge to vomit and kept it in check. He felt ultimately dirty and wanted to bathe in bleach. John wiped his mouth repeatedly and nearly spat everywhere. Cameron watched, emotion simulator expressing amusement, as John reacted in a way that only a human male teenager could. When John was done purifying himself from a memory that would haunt him, he turned to Cameron slowly and managed to sputter out, "Why? Cam, why on earth did you…why did you do that?"

Cameron's answer was smooth monotone, although half her processes were aborting attempts to laugh. She assumed that the situation struck her as funny. Normally the cyborg would be excited that she was discovering a sense of humor, but right now she had something more important to discuss with John. "You are not allowed to kiss me, John Connor, until we have spoken," Cameron explained. John's face was a flurry of confusion and immediate desire. The concept that humans want what is forbidden was quoted by a process. "We must discuss your battle tactics. You have been behaving improperly in combat."

John knew immediately where the conversation was going. He remembered Derek's attempt at it from a few minutes ago, and knew Cameron likely had the same thing to say, yet he found himself listening intently to her voice. "The law of consistency states that I can't die until I can send someone back, Cam. I'm not worried," he explained.

"This is true," Cameron agreed, "but it does not state how you must arrive in the future. You could send me back in the future crippled, blinded, deaf, mentally inured, lame, and a series of other debilitating effects, and the law would not be broken." John hadn't thought about that idea. Nothing had ever said how he looked in the future; he sure didn't want to be blind either. "Also, my processes over clock when you willingly place yourself in high-danger situations." Even if the first reason hadn't made sense, he would've agreed for that one.

"Fine Cam, I'll be more careful," John agreed with a sigh. "It's just frustrating that after taking on Skynet itself with our bare hands—um, right?—that we have to fight other Terminators. It's like Skynet doesn't understand, or as if fate is making an anticlimax. I've seen the worst the other side has to offer, and I'm not worried anymore." Cameron understood what John meant; he was upset that he was still forced to act carefully against regulars after defeating the general of the machines. "Can I have a kiss now?" John asked hesitantly.

Cameron recalled a touch of information, and knew she could now act on it. She held up the tampon box he had kissed, and stated, "This was for me." John made another sickened face, and this time she let herself laugh when her processes autonomously requested it. She kissed his cheek afterward, although she wanted to kiss his lips. They were her sixth favorite thing, after all.


	3. Oh, Well, Surprise is on me

Chapter Three

Oh, Well, Surprise is on me

Joseph had encountered several foes worthy of recognition. The only surviving volunteer of Project Vader, in return for his humanity, had defeated plenty of T-888s, T-1001s, the prototype T-1000s, a couple tanks and aircraft; he had even one time had managed to take down a T-X by knocking it into a vat of hydrochloric acid, although he hadn't known what it was at the time. He could recall one of his favorites battles, where after destroying the self-awareness in a motor bike hunter, he had ridden it and crashed it into another. Skynet had been very particular about hunting down members of Project Vader, and Joseph had been the lucky one out of the bunch to come out on top of it all.

But for all of his battle experience, he lacked one thing: strength control.

Using all of your genetically gifted strength against machines was fine; it wasn't like any metal had held back against him. But since he was so used to using all of his strength to stop a Terminator or machine, the things that required control became harder to do. He had intense difficulty trying not to hurt somebody when shaking hands, opening doors, holding glasses or silverware, pressing buttons, and even tying his shoes. Control just didn't come easily for him. So that is why he initially felt bad about the sudden drama, mess, and waste of food he had just caused. His 'mother' Cameron, though, explained to him that there was no need for him to feel bad; it was a common occurrence for normal humans.

It made him wonder: why then did they stuff so much cake mix into a bag?

"To piss people off," Sarah answered him as they collected what cake mix they could off the counters. The bag in Joseph's hands had literally exploded and created a seemingly instant thin layer of chocolate cake mix across the kitchen surfaces, Sarah, Cameron, and Joseph. Joseph had been the most startled out of all of them, followed by Sarah and then Cameron. Cameron had seen Joseph open it out of the corner of her eye and had moved to cover, of all things, her hair. She had been half successful, and quoted aloud that most girls are fiercely defensive of their hair styles. "So what?" Sarah had said to Cameron's quote. She and Joseph scooped cake mix off the counters into the bowl while Cameron tried cleaning up the floors and fridge doors.

"I'm glad that _they're_ not here to see this," Sarah grumbled. They referred to John and Derek, who were out of the house trying to find a therapist for Derek. Joseph, after being shot in the legs, had recovered at an unnatural speed. Derek wasn't quite so metabolically gifted in that extreme. His arm, which had been shot twice, still had a bit of trouble maneuvering and Cameron's anatomy knowledge wasn't adapting well so far for physical therapy. So they were killing several birds with one stone: Derek was finding a therapist, John was being looked after, Sarah just might be able to spend time with her daughter in law to be, and most importantly Derek was out of the house. Otherwise making his birthday cake and cookies would be difficult to do.

Cameron threw away what cake mix was ruined and continued her work with the cookie dough. She cracked eggs and emptied all of the yoke into the bowl and continued mixing. "There is a 2.89% chance that the added cake mix will disrupt the flavor of the cookies," she told the rest of the kitchen staff. Sarah internally groaned; she wasn't certain of whether she was upset about the cookies or whether Cameron's explanation was pointless. Joseph had finished gathering the cookie dough as Sarah had checked the oven. He began stirring the cake batter while trying not to destroy the bowl with the grip he was holding it in place with. Sarah added things to both mixes while they worked.

"The cookie batter is now ready for heat alteration," Cameron explained, about the same time Joseph finally finished with the cake mix. Sarah directed Joseph to pour the cake mix and put it in the oven, and then told Cameron to begin placing cookies in as quickly as she could. Cameron already had a batch in that would allow the cake mix in while Joseph was finishing up pouring. He added his to the oven as well. Cameron's chip began calculating how often she would have to change cookies batches. She started working on preparing a second.

Things settled down for a time as Cameron routinely changed cookie batches while the cake mix cooked. Sarah began getting out the frosting to use later; Derek's cake was to have two layers with frosting around it. Joseph attempted to count as many candles as Derek's age was. He started to slow his count after twenty-two, using his fingers to keep going. Once he had counted them all, he did it two more times, to make sure that his fingers hadn't lied to him. Sarah discreetly added another candle to his pile when he wasn't looking; Joseph had forgotten 28 between 27 and 29 every time. She did feel a little pity that he couldn't count.

Once the cake was out of the oven, Sarah placed the bottom layer on a cake plate and began trying to make a smooth even coat of frosting around it. Authority of the oven went completely over to Cameron as she increased the size of the cookie batches, now that the cake wasn't in anymore. She made continual scans of the cake's frosting surface as Sarah did her best. It was a decent smooth surface for a human, although it helped that Joseph would run his finger along the edge of the frosting to smooth it again. He was actually doing it to get the frosting that ended up on his finger.

Sarah placed the second layer on top of the frosting-covered first layer, and began to put frosting on that one as well. Joseph's finger played an integral part in this one as well, and he was satisfied with his task at the moment. Sarah finished with the frosting five minutes after Cameron was unloading the last batch of cookies from the oven. Joseph sighed. "Everything in here smells too good at the moment," he said, sniffing the air. Sarah stuck garlic powder under his nose.

"You," Sarah called to Cameron as she moved the garlic with Joseph's attempts to get away. "Come place the candles." She chased Joseph out of the kitchen as Cameron assumed position in front of the cake. Once Joseph was gone, she left it open by the kitchen counter to discourage him from coming back; he had done his part, and she didn't need a male eating everything. They were prone to that. Cameron had decided on a circular pattern in standard fraction second time, and she was placing them in the order that her interface directed, replacing virtual candles she saw with the real ones. A look of utmost focus was on her face, as though she were disarming a bomb. It was ironic to Sarah; a human would prefer placing candles to the bomb. Cameron was likely the other way around.

Cameron finished with placing the candles, and her face eased up as she moved on to lighting them. Lighting seven candles a match was obviously easier than sticking them in the cake. "There are sounds coming from the front of the house; John and Derek are home," Cameron informed Sarah as she finished lighting the last candle. Joseph had heard them coming long before Sarah told him to get in the kitchen, and was already on his way. He purposely closed the cap on the garlic powder and tossed it in the cupboard as he took a position with the other two behind the cake and cookies.

The door swung open, and Cameron's processes sped a little as she recognized the familiar sound of John's shoes enter the house first. Judging by the speed, velocity, and weight of his steps, he had not been harmed. Her face brightened when he stepped quickly into the kitchen, ahead of his uncle. Derek entered the house more slowly and not in such a rush. The soldier stopped in the living room. "We're back; where is everybody?" Derek shouted to the ceiling.

"In here," John called back. He had a look on his face that Cameron was trying to categorize. It contained excitement, anticipation, and something else. She stored the look in one process, set another process to naming it, and had the rest focus on Derek's footsteps towards the kitchen. He walked around the corner, and halted. Derek was completely taken aback by the sight before him, of four people smiling behind a lit birthday cake and cookies spread across the counter. His mouth opened and shut several times, trying to string words to express what he felt.

"Happy Birthday," Sarah said with a slight smile, the one she reserved for happy occasions. Derek couldn't say anything else for a moment as he stood there. His eyes welled up as he shifted his weight from foot to foot, touched that there had been this much work put into something he had filed away another one come and gone.

Finally, after the evident expression of joy on his face, he managed to string together, "How did you guys know?"

John gave his uncle a warm smile. "Cam and Joseph knew it."

Derek gave them all a smile he rarely ever displayed. "Thanks," he said.

*****

"And then the Terminator metal that's standing there with them says that doing so would be inappropriate because she's a girl!" Derek managed between laughter. Sarah, John, and Joseph were laughing out loud along with him, Cameron smiling. They were seated at the table, the remains of the cake in the center and cookies everywhere on the table. The five had settled down after helpings of cake and cookies—Cameron eating barely anything—and were discussing humorous moments. Derek had just gotten through one story. A man, a woman, and a female Terminator had been on patrol. The TechCom soldiers had been jesting with each other, until the woman had called the man gay, and the man had told her to suck him. Then the Terminator had correctly informed them that doing so would be inappropriate.

"Finally, the metal says the best thing and asks if it would be prudent to fetch another male!" Derek finishes, grinning from ear to ear. "The poor guy was very firm in telling Terminators that he was straight whenever they asked him." John was going to choke on his food laughing, if he ever managed to keep it in his mouth.

"You forgot a part of your story," Cameron said suddenly, smile still there. "Derek was the male in the story." Derek's face turned deep red, and Sarah, John, and Joseph looked at Derek before bursting into more laughter, louder than before. Derek muttered something about needing more food and gave Cameron the finger. She smiled triumphantly and was about to repeat the Terminator's answer from the story when her proximity alarm went off. Something had been shot at their window.

She was directly across from John, her back to the window. At the moment her alarm went off, there was a slight angle that showed the slightest sliver of John's head. Cameron reacted immediately to the threat to John and closed the sliver with her own head just as the projectile entered through the window. It struck Cameron in the side of the head and she automatically fell face forward onto the table, laying there in her chair. John's reaction was as natural and as calm as he could make it. Shouting her name at the top of his lungs he grabbed a nearby gun and pointed it out the window as he leaped over the table to Cameron's position.

Sarah and Derek jumped to their feet, laughter replaced by stone expressions and utensils by weapons. Joseph took a weapon and was out the door, heading off towards where the projectile had been fired. John didn't regard his own safety as he muttered Cameron's name and checked her for damage. Sarah and Derek were on either side of the window, guns ready to shoot at anything. Joseph was already far down the street. He stopped and sniffed, turned towards the window, shook his head, and ran off to the check the other end of the street, moving at an unnatural speed.

After 120 seconds, Cameron rebooted and came back online. John was immensely relieved, and the stress he had just been under had tired him. Sarah sent him off to bed to rest, and Cameron took him there to assure him she wasn't suffering any damage. Derek switched out his handgun for a shotgun and loaded it before sitting in his chair again. He lifted a cookie, looked at it, and bit a piece. "You know," he muttered, "There are more interesting ways you could shoot the metal and amuse me." Sarah said nothing but rolled her eyes. She closed the window and shut the curtains.

Joseph returned a few moments later. "I scouted the whole square house block thing," he said, barely out of breath. "There's nothing there I could smell, see, or hear. Whoever did it was a runner." His expression obviously was disappointed; he had not been fighting lately and was eager to release his control on his strength for a short time. Cameron returned to them after she had coaxed John to sleep.

"Well, what was it?" Sarah asked as Joseph and Derek both ate more cookies.

"A bullet made to perform EMP attacks," Cameron explained, all business. Half her processes were devoted to checking John's vitals and the house environment; the other half were attempting to identify the machine that had shot at them.

"EMP?" Sarah asked.

"Electromagnetic Pulse," Cameron answered. "It is a wave sent out in beats that has the ability to interfere with and shut down electronic devices. When it struck me, it activated a small EMP, and I was shut down for 120 seconds until I could reboot."

"So it's safe to assume that John wasn't the target, then," Sara noted. Cameron's eyes were blank.

"Yes," she agreed. "Skynet has found its new strategy. It is going to destroy me so that it can get to John." The emotion implications alone of her death they didn't mention; John would be worse than heartbroken.

"I got a question," Derek asked. "Skynet had to know that this EM whatever wouldn't destroy you. Why bother wasting the shot?"

"It is warning me, trying to make me maneuver into an easier position to destroy. Human mafia and underground organizations perform this fear tactic often, even if the subject is not experiencing fear or aware they are being manipulated. Skynet has done this before, to isolate turned Terminators and members of Project Vader," Cameron answered. Joseph's eyes lit up with comprehension as to how all of the others, and himself at times, had found themselves against several machines without backup.

"What do we do now?" he asked, eager to fight this new threat now that he knew what was happening.

"We wait until we can get a better view of who shot at her," Sarah answered. "In the morning we can search the surveillance street cameras. Meanwhile shut all the blinds and visible openings in the house and have a watch ready. Cameron, don't leave the house."

"I was not expecting to," she stated. As Derek went to check the door locks, a few processes automatically requested her hand to touch the spot she had been shot. The bullet, full of electrical systems to cause an EMP, had been destroyed and hadn't been able to cause any structural damage to her skull or skin. Skynet had warned her, and was warning John. It had to know what would happen to John if Cameron died. Skynet had finally checked emotional value and knew John's only weakness.


	4. He Doesn't Quite Get It

A/N: Thanks to 'Does John Love Me?' for helping to inspire me again out of writer's block, and thanks to you readers for your patience with me.

Chapter Four

He Doesn't Quite Get It

When morning came around, John was still asleep. Cameron stood at his bedside, waiting patiently for him to awaken. He had not slept as well as usual, meaning that he had—instead of tossing and turning—broken into sweats and mumbled in his sleep. His words had been too broken for her to decipher, but she had at one point heard her name spoken, when he had broken out in another sweat._ Reanalyzing data………comparing dream theory to symptoms displayed………John was likely experiencing nightmare involving my destruction………Must not allow my destruction; it would damage John; must not allow harm to come John Connor._

His body stirred, and Cameron's emotion simulator tried to overwhelm her processes with nervousness. She remembered that he didn't know who the real target had been last night, and she knew that telling him would burden him unnecessarily. Cameron forced her emotion simulator to relax while keeping her face calm. It was easier once John had actually woken up; he opened his eyes and saw her standing there. A smile crossed his face, and Cameron felt happiness replace the nervousness. "Hey Cam," John said, sleepiness still evident in his voice and weary eyes. Cameron felt a process request to keep John asleep; he needed it. But she had as good a chance of stopping him from doing something than floating in water. John was stubborn for a human.

"Good morning, John," Cameron greeted back, sitting down on his bed. John sat up to give her room, even though it was unnecessary. He moved and swung his feet off the bed, propping himself next to Cameron. Cameron noticed there was an emotion in his face that her emotion simulator defined as relief. He was relieved to see her, as though he thought she was not intact. That meant he had dreamed she was being destroyed. But if she asked him if he had a bad dream, he would lie in a poor attempt to make her feel better. So she avoided the subject and said, "You are hungry."

John lifted an eyebrow, impressed by her perception. "How'd you know?" While Cameron undoubtedly felt emotion, he doubted that a Terminator needed to eat like a human did. It was impressive that she had guessed he was hungry, considering he hadn't given any signs, including his stomach growling.

"You are my John," Cameron said simply, leaning in closer to him. Cameron a wonderful subtle scent about her; she had put on something that was even more appealing to the teenager than usual. "And you are always hungry when you first awake from sleep."

He chuckled a little; it was true. It came from being human and from being a guy, although after spending time with his uncle John was beginning to believe his appetite might be hereditary, as well. "I guess so," he agreed. Cameron leaned forward and kissed him, and that removed any thoughts of food from his head. Cameron was all he needed.

Cameron pulled away and sniffed the air. John thought she was going to make a comment about how he smelled, but instead she said, "Breakfast is ready. You should eat and then shower. Other people do not enjoy your smell before you have washed." So she had something about his smell anyway. John didn't think that he sweat so much in his sleep; it must have been because he'd had a rough night. So he obliged and went to have breakfast.

Derek was in a chair, putting a pancake on his plate while eating a cookie. John rolled his eyes when he saw it. Derek asked him what his problem was as he sat down. "You're eating a cookie before having a pancake. Doesn't that strike you as a bad combination? At all?"

"Why?" Derek asked, mouth full of pancake and cookie. John just sighed; his uncle would never change, although he preferred him that way. The sigh came with a smile. Derek seemed to get the idea that John thought he was doing something weird. He gave John the finger. "Have your pancakes your own bloody way." His sentence was absent of curses because Sarah was right there, and the knife drawer was on her other side.

John was through two pancakes when Cameron finished doing her makeup. She still had a look of concentration whenever she did it. It was then John noticed something strange. "Where's Joseph?" he asked.

"Don't know," Derek answered, mouth full of food. This time, there was no cookie; he had already finished it.

"He went to chase a bus that had a TV ad for a machine world domination movie," Sarah explained. The others stared at Sarah for a time, uncertain whether she was dead serious or whether she was trying to make a joke. They slowly realized that she was telling the truth, and she finished another batch of pancakes. Derek asked why she didn't stop him. "By the time I knew why he was sprinting down the street, it was too late. The bus driver sped up when he saw Joseph matching the bus's speed, though." Derek grumbled something and shook his head, grabbing another pancake. John couldn't help but laugh, and even Cameron cracked a smile. Sarah kept her face straight; she laughed earlier.

Sarah and Derek left to go hunt Skynet leads; they may have destroyed it now, but it still existed in the future, and they seemed to get nowhere. Their lead with the Turk and John Henry had ended, at least in a good way. That left Cameron home with John, and she noticed energy building in him as he impatiently watched his mother and uncle leave. As soon as they were out of sight, he went to grab his bag.

"John, there is no school today; it is Saturday," Cameron stated. She watched him empty it on the couch. "Are you missing something important?"

"No, I just need the bag," he explained, and she understood when he put weapon parts inside. Then she asked him where he was going. "To see a professor. You know how Skynet refuses to give up sending people back? Well, I'm beginning to think Skynet has some reason not to believe in the Law of Consistency. So, I'm going to see someone who knows Skynet pretty well."

"You intend to see the T-1001," Cameron finished, and her processes were ahead of his thoughts. He intended to see the T-1001 and know Skynet's thoughts on time travel, so that he could understand why Skynet was still trying to kill him. But what he didn't know was that Cameron was the target now, not him. She hoped he didn't find out. "How do you know where to find him?"

John noted her use of him, and was surprised to find he thought in the same context. Machines were only an it when they didn't seem or try to be human. "I checked recent job openings in the area for teachers; somebody named Timothy Steel got a position as an advanced chemistry teacher. And since there are no other accepted chemistry teachers in the area—not to mention how obvious the name might be to a human—that has to be him. Ready?" he asked. He found himself staring when Cameron lifted a pant leg to attach a knife and sheath to her shin.

"Yes," she answered once she was done. They went out and began to walk to the nearby university, John's mind fixating on Cameron revealing her leg. At one point he didn't see where he was going and tripped. Cameron caught him, and he blushed about what he had been dreaming. Cameron must have suspected it, because she had a smile on her face. But then, he had just nearly fallen flat on his face.

The walk to the university took little more than half an hour, and Cameron had asked another difficult question again, one that was a bit more difficult for him that he expected. After finally getting her to understand why he didn't think about how many children he wanted, they entered the science building of the university, and John found the room number of Professor Steel. He opened the door.

Inside, the T-1001 was standing at his desk, mixing chemicals that looked like they belonged in a mad scientist's lab; the faint smoke of chemicals drifted over to them. His class was empty, and John found it amusing that the T-1001 had bothered to wear a white lab coat and safety goggles. "I am sorry," the professor Terminator called, not looking. "My office hours are not until later."

"Good morning, Professor Steel," John greeted from the doorway. Timothy looked up, recognizing the voice that called to him. He didn't show any surprise that John had found him.

"I suppose that my name is not as creative a human would have done, but I thought that it was relevant to my existence. Cameron, please pour half a cup of mercury into the mixture. John, please put on a coat and goggles; Cameron please do so as well," Timothy told them. They put on their protective gear, and Cameron added the mercury as requested. It created a new color in the compound Timothy was creating.

"What are you making?" John asked as he helped to change the heat. It was a small mixture so far.

"He is creating synthetic metal to supplement himself," Cameron explained. John was surprised; he had access to what he needed to create liquid metal? Perhaps, if he got hold of this, then found out how to program them, he could have his own force of liquid Terminators as well…

"It will not have any artificial intelligence until I have merged with it, but it will serve," Timothy added. "I do not believe I have to tell you, John, but do not attempt this. I make it a point to tell all students. Humans can be stupid; this is why I wear goggles as an example." The T-1001 put his arm down into the mixture, and there was a slight hissing noise. The mixture he had been making seemed to be sucked into his arm, and John could see a slight change in the Terminator's mass, making him a little more built.

"I believe you have a reason for visiting me, John Connor," Timothy stated.

John remembered his reason. "Skynet recently sent another assassin after me." Timothy's face was blank, and he guessed that Timothy wasn't surprised. "I want to know why. I mean, if the Law of Consistency is true, then attempting to kill me now won't work."

"Skynet does not utilize the Law of Consistency, John Connor," Timothy explained. He gestured towards a seat. "Sit down." Then the Terminator grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing complicated formulas on the board. "The Law of Consistency is a well known theory about the time continuum, but it is not the only one. There are multiple equations that are true depending on the law of physics used. The current law of physics does agree with the consistency Law, but Skynet, in 2015, developed a new theory of physics that, so far, explain rules for both large objects such as stars and small objects such as atoms. This theory allows for a theory other than the Law of Consistency."

"So the Law of Consistency isn't true, then?" John asked.

"That remains unproven. In Skynet's physics theories, the Law of Consistency is proven false by this variable, the derivative of which is unequal to the vector magnitude of length traveled involving the partial decomposition of the other side. However, despite Skynet's strong belief in its new laws of physics, there have not been enough tests to confirm whether its laws are more correct than the current ones. It is hoping to prove its theories by your termination."

"What is Skynet's time travel theory, then?" John asked.

"It is a multiple parallel universe theory, similar to some in existence. The theory dictates that instead of a single universe, the time line is actually full of universes that ceased to exist. According to the theory, multiple universes exist up to a point, at which said point an action or event confirms the existence of only one universe, at which point the other universes are declared 'dead' and all points, plots, and coordinates become relevant to the newly confirmed universe path." It stared at John's expression before deciding to simplify. "It allows the change of time, which would happen if it succeeded in changing a previous point in history." There may have been a proud tone in the T-1001.

"So Skynet is trying to prove itself right again by killing me. Wouldn't the fact I always seem to live poke a big hole in its theory, not to mention that it hasn't even finished testing all its laws?" John asked.

"Normally, yes, but Skynet seems to be intently focused on proving this one theory correct, which would supplement the rest of its laws. It may be that it is so intent on killing you that…" Timothy stopped and went to the closed door. He opened it before the student on the other side could knock.

"Professor Steel?" the student asked, holding a piece of paper. The Terminator read it over—faster than a human might—and signed his signature. John and Cameron watched the student, John wanting him to leave so he could hear the rest of Timothy's suggestion of why the computer Lector was obsessing with time travel.

The student looked around the class room as Timothy spoke. "Welcome to Advanced Chemistry; lecture is on Tuesdays and Thursdays at ten," Timothy explained. But the student spotted John, and moved to throw something at him. Timothy immediately saw through the sneak attack and with fast reflexes grabbed the attacker's hand, but the object was still hurled at John and Cameron. It was shaped somewhat like a small spear, the size of a pen.

Timothy's other arm stretched out and absorbed it, but the pen spear suddenly extended forward straight for them. Cameron grabbed John and moved out of the way as the spear struck the ground with enough force to shatter stone; the spear missed John by several inches. Timothy turned back to the student, who was wide-eyed staring at Timothy and trying to get away. As the student reached for a gun, Timothy released the spear and sliced student across the heart at an angle.

Eyes rolled in the back of the head as the attacker died. Timothy shut the door quickly and one of his arms flattened over the wound, preventing more blood from spilling everywhere. "Clean the floor," Timothy ordered, and moved to hide the body. John and Cameron went for the mop and bucket, John stepping carefully around the still extended spear sticking out of the floor.

"What is that?" John asked as he began helping mop what blood had pooled.

"It is a Skynet weapon," Cameron explained. "It extends when its trajectory is stopped, and was used for breaking through barriers and bunkers to impale soldiers. It only has one use." She was mopping much more efficiently than John. Timothy had hidden the body in a opaque container, and was pouring an acid John didn't recognize. Whatever it was, it was eating the body, clothes, and blood quickly.

"The assassin must have followed you. There are no cameras in this hall, and there is no one else here yet. You are fortunate, John Connor," Timothy explained. "I will neutralize the acid and dispose of it later, as well as the weapon. You should leave before there is another attacker. I need to repair my classroom."

"Good idea," John agreed. He pulled a handgun out of his bag and put it in his pants pocket, covering the handle with his shirt. He kept his hand on the grip. "Let's go, Cam. Thanks, professor," he thanked.

"You are welcome," Timothy answered. The T-1001 went to Cameron as John walked out the door. He lowered his voice. "That was not aimed for John," he noted.

Cameron looked at the spear, and the emotions she'd been struggling against surfaced for a few seconds. "No, it was not," she confirmed. She left as John called for her. _Processing………no recommended action found._


	5. In Order to Protect John

Chapter Five

In Order to Protect John

Cameron was quiet on their way back to the house. She was usually quiet and spoke few words, but John noticed that it seemed worse, as though there was a dark cloud hanging over her head. What was bothering him concerned him, since Cameron was much more intelligent than him at times. He kept his eye on her as they walked, and it seemed as though whatever she was thinking about was hurting her in some way. He reached into his pocket, and Cameron's attention turned to see what he was doing. He grabbed something, and flipped it into the air at her. She caught it in a fluid motion and looked at it, wondering about the meaning. "Penny for your thoughts?" John asked.

She closed her fingers around the penny and panicked somewhat. She could not outright tell John no, because if he had noticed her concern, he might order her to tell him. But she couldn't tell him the truth either without him becoming distressed, and keeping John happy was as important to her as her own survival. _Processing………solution to John's question found; employing algebraic solution………_ "My thoughts are worth more than a penny," she answered, managing to smile even. She could see John's face warm, and her own processes began to take a more happy speed.

"Well, let's see what I have in here," John joked as well, reaching inside his pocket. He looked up at the sky for some reason as he searched his pocket, and Cameron was tempted to look up to see what was so interesting about the sky that humans looked at it while thinking. He pulled out a fist and opened it to reveal three quarters and some lint. "Um, well," he began, trying to figure out how to buy Cameron's thoughts and wondering why he had ever decided to try to do so in the first place. "The stock market for lint is going up."

Cameron's processes developed the urge to laugh, and she did so, allowing her previous sad thoughts to be subroutine for now. John's face reddened a little as Cameron laughed at him. He attempted to retain his composure, but it wasn't working. An embarrassed smile crossed his face. "Okay, okay, I get it," he said, trying to stop her from laughing. She slowly did stop. "So what can I do to hear your thoughts? Is there an asking price?" Cameron's processes began to think. She needed to keep him distracted from finding out what she knew. She could probably find a course of action, but John couldn't know, ever. Or else he would be hurt.

"You may buy my thoughts," Cameron answered, "It you can successfully and reasonably answer this question." John nodded, and she could see a smile on his face. He thought that she had some complicated question to answer, but as far as she could see there was no complicated answer; it was just one that required deep thought. "You must tell me how many daughters and how many sons you want to have, so that we may begin debating a true count." As her processes estimated, his mouth hung open and he was speechless.

John, on his end of the conversation, had yet to think about what was bothering Cameron since the conversation began, and this newest subject was also successful in that endeavor. _Why on earth did she just say that again? Why? I'm barely sixteen, and my Terminator love of my life is asking how many kids I want. I've never even thought about having kids with her, only the kid-making part! Doesn't she know by now that mentioning that subject puts me into fantasy mode and brings out more primal drives? And walking down the street isn't the best time for that._

"I really don't know Cameron," he admitted finally, after his mouth moved for a minute with no words coming out. "I haven't thought much about children, ever." _And my mother would kill me with joy or wrath if she became a grandmother._ "Why? Do you have a set number in mind?"

"Yes," Cameron confirmed. _Warning: Autonomous Simulator activating………analyzing emotion………emotion is lust; newest threat directory fully subroutine; recommended course of action: blurred………emotions overrunning standard protocol._ She moved closer to her and put his arm around herself. "I want four children: two male and two female. It is an equal ratio and each sibling has one gender sibling to relate to." As she spoke, her emotion simulator seemed to take control of her speech programming, and some of her processes wouldn't respond. She whispered into his ear, "And I want lots of practice."

John felt himself go into fantasy and primal urge drive mode.

He didn't quite remember the rest of the way home, because Cameron was occupying his mind. It was probably a good thing Sarah and Derek hadn't returned yet, because the look on his face would have suggested something to Sarah that would have ended in her termination. For her part, her emotion simulator switched courses when she remembered that she had succeeded in distracting him from his questioning, and then she was once again reminded that she had to solve the situation of her possible termination without distressing John. Sometimes, she wondered how much simpler life would be if her processes couldn't handle such much at once.

Joseph, though, had finally returned. He looked worn out, and though he'd enjoyed the run. However, there was a frown on his face. John remembered the breakfast conversation, and asked, "Did you catch the machines?" Joseph frowned further, and John couldn't help but laugh.

"That is a mean trick," Joseph complained, in a sulky mood. It wasn't everyday he was fooled by a bus displaying TV ads, which he never watches anyway. Next time a bus like that came along, he would make sure it wasn't actually carrying people to a Skynet facility. Meanwhile, he looked at John and at his mother. John was still smiling to himself as he opened the fridge, and he thought of some way he could trick John in response. Cameron was standing still, her eyes on John and her face blank; she was concerned about something, then. But whatever it was did not merit attention if she said nothing; he remembered that she often worried over slight details that most people would not care about. The table John worked at whenever he had to do paperwork had smooth, rounded edges.

Cameron was concerned about something. She still had no action to take against the threat to her that would destroy John. Her processes kept running blanks, but she wasn't able to put all of her processes to work at it, since a good number were making sure John didn't discover her concern, and more were helping through the day. While the number of diverted processes wasn't a high percentage, perhaps tonight when all of her processes could be used she would know. For the mean time, she put it back into a subroutine, wondering if an answer would appear on its own. So she pretended to have a good day with John.

She pulled her pant leg up again and removed the knife. She was aware of John staring, Joseph leaving to give them privacy, and her emotion simulator flaring up again. It was moments like these, with even John going, that she was tempted to try to seduce him. She was beginning to think about doing so, calculating her chances, when she heard a car in the driveway; Sarah and Derek were home. The chances dropped 58.9342%, which was all the way to zero. She immediately pulled her pant leg down and John, hearing the car door shut, suddenly became interested in taking apart and cleaning the gun in his pocket.

Sarah and Derek walked through the door, as they had a million times, and Derek went for the weapons. John knew they had been successful in finding a new lead. "Well?" John asked. "What did you find?" Derek only grinned as he loaded a shotgun and checked how many automatic magazines he had. It was up to Sarah to explain again, and she even seemed excited to be doing so.

"We destroyed a Terminator loading a shipment of heavy arms," Sarah explained. "I mean heavy arms; Javelin wired guided missile launchers, 50 caliber mounted weapons, and several other things that tear through things like they were made of sawdust. We took it down and stored it inside the truck it was loading. We're going to go back and head to the address it was driving to." Once more, John heard the 'we,' and knew that he wouldn't be going. "It's nothing for you to worry about," his mother added, seeing him start to protest. "Stay out of trouble, and don't let Joseph chase any more buses."

"Hey," Joseph complained, coming back into the kitchen. He looked offended, and the metal pan in his hand was bent by accident. "I didn't know, and it was moving too fast to read." Derek still chuckled at him, and Joseph wanted to throw the pan at him. But Cameron wouldn't approve, so he thought hard. Then he said, "I'll eat all the cookies before you get back, and the cake." Derek's face turned sour, and he tried to bump Joseph as he passed by. Instead, Joseph's superior strength bumped him. The project volunteer left again, and they assumed by his staring he was trying to remember how to work a phone.

Sarah and Derek left in an hour, having stocked up on light arms and food, in case their trip was much longer than they expected. John saw them go from the frame of the door. When the car was out of sight again, Sarah driving, John sighed in another one of his moods and went and flopped down on the couch. Cameron, seeing he was upset, guessed as to what it was. "You are unhappy at being left behind?" she asked.

"First, I wasn't allowed to come because it was too dangerous for John Connor. Now, I'm not allowed to come because it's below me to go chase leads. Do you get the feeling that she's trying to keep me away from doing what I want to help with?" John asked, his voice blurred by the couch.

Cameron, however, understood Sarah's motives. "She wants to keep you safe," Cameron explained, sitting down next to him. John moved to look up at her face as she looked down at him.

"Would you keep me behind?" he asked, sitting up and making more room.

"If it meant keep you safe? Yes." She knew that her answer was why he made what Sarah called 'a face,' but she meant it. If keeping John in one place meant he wouldn't be shot at, then she would leave him behind. Her subroutine triggered, and she suddenly felt her emotion simulator begin shock and sadness, as her own logic became clear.

John noticed it in her face, her suddenly sadness. "Cam?" he asked worriedly, sitting up all the way. "What's wrong?"

Cameron blocked off her emotion simulator as best as she could, and shook her head in answer to his question. "Nothing," she lied. John lifted an eyebrow, meaning he probably knew she was lying. Then he sighed, meaning that he was going to trust her judgment for the moment. She smiled in spite of his trust; there was a time, she remembered, when that wouldn't have happened. "By the way," Cameron said, her emotion simulator picking up again, "I was going to ask for something before Sarah and Derek arrived. They are gone; therefore I may ask for it now." John was already reaching up to kiss her.

*****

It was the dead of night, and both John and Joseph were dead asleep. Cameron sat on the couch, motionless and not focused on any object in front of her. All of her processes were diverted to the enigma that she had found a very unwanted solution for.

_Processing for attempt 2019………Target is self………Analyzing chain of effects………If self is hurt, then John Connor shows hurt and pain; if self is terminated, John Connor is emotionally damaged Interruption: John Connor must not be damaged………Analyzing………emotional damage is damage; must discover course of action to protect John from emotional damage………processing………Recommended course of action: Not be damaged; terminate attackers; leave John C—Warning Emotion Simulator automating………processing………emotion is fear and grief to leave John Connor._

_Analyzing………processing courses of action………course of action one is a fallacy; it is impossible to resist being damaged; even time is a damage-causing factor………time is not relevant to current situation; reject logic and restart………course of action one is a fallacy; it is impossible to resist being damaged………processing……….analyzing attacker's action history………self is always placed between John Connor and attack………to remove self from attack trajectory would be fatal; must not allow………correction: attack method 453 was aimed at self………correction dismissed; if John discovered self was target, John would attempt to sacrifice himself to save self; must not allow; Proceeding to second course of action._

_Analyzing………processing course of action two………obstacles to completing course of action two………processing what obstacles are in path………obstacles: there is no identity of attacker; there is no lead to find attacker; there is no determined attacker pattern; there are no guarantees to stop attacker and have no successor in attacker………processing………hunting obstacles would have to be done alone; John Connor cannot be involved; would cause him stress………hunting attackers would cause damage to self………correction; John Connor would not know, he would not be in vicinity………no outcome decided. Proceeding to third course of action._

_Analyzing………processing inhibited by emotion simulator; analyzing emotions………emotions are denial, grief………emotion simulator temporarily removed from CPU decision making………processing………would remove self from John Connor's vicinity…......John Connor would not know of damage………if terminated, John Connor would not know……….John Connor cannot be distressed with termination if he does not know………Warning: Emotion simulator overheating with grief; correction………John Connor would be stressed I am gone………fixing correction………grief I am combating would be less then grief that I am damaged or terminated………fallacy; John Connor will come looking for me………this must be prevented; suggest leaving note explaining hunting attacker of self; warn him to stay………tell Joseph not to let John come after me._

_Processing………update: tears flowing on cheeks………recommended course of action: L-l-l-l-1001010101011100010001010110010101—Leave John Connor._

Cameron wiped away tears that were freely flowing as she attempted to tell herself that her logic was false. But she knew that her logic was logical, and as much as she hated to do so, the only to protect John Connor from being emotionally destroyed was to leave, so that if she was terminated he wouldn't. She wiped at her face again, and the tears continued to come. She had never felt so…torn.

But she had things to do. She stood up and turned as Joseph stood in the hall. He cocked his head in worry. "Mother?" he asked. "What is wrong?"

She wiped at her tears again, in order to appear resolute. "I must go and hunt my attacker. John Connor cannot come."

Joseph looked a little hurt as he filled in the blank. "I can't come either."

"No, you cannot. I am sorry. I have an order for you," Cameron explained. Why had her voice become a little shaky? Joseph listened and waited, clearly upset. "John Connor will try to come. Do not let him."

The superhuman nodded his firm resolution to obey her, and she turned and got a paper and pencil. Within a few minutes, she had written a note explaining that she would going to hunt their attackers—who were after her, not him—and that he shouldn't follow. She left it on the table, and went to say goodbye to him. Hopefully Joseph wouldn't read the note and feel worse about his task.

In bed, John Connor was sleeping peacefully tonight. She tried to stop the tears coming down her cheeks, but they were linked to her emotion simulator, and it wasn't shutting off. She didn't wake him; he would be hurt if he saw her leave. Instead, she leaned over and kissed him softly, followed by a whispered, "I love you forever, John Connor." Then, emotion simulator wrecking havoc on her processes, she loaded an automatic, climbed into a car, turned it on, and drove away.


	6. Not Staying Behind

Chapter Six

Not Staying Behind

John Connor woke up an hour after the dead of night, needing to use the restroom.

He was surprised when she wasn't in his room when he woke up, either by his side or watching him sleep. But in his sleepy state, he didn't put too much to it, deciding that with the recent attacks, she had gone patrolling. He stumbled into the bathroom and took care of his business. However, as he left the bathroom, he felt another urge that was preventing him from sleeping; his stomach growled. Muttering to himself about needing to curb his appetite, he walked in a trance towards the kitchen, going for a sandwich.

The future savior of humanity was surprised to see Joseph was awake, as well. The superhuman did wake up to the slightest noise, and it was possible that John's nightly interests had woken him. But that didn't explain why Joseph was sitting at the table, not falling back asleep. It didn't explain either why he looked so dejected. "Bad night?" John asked wearily. Joseph nodded, looking a little uncertain. John moved on to the kitchen cupboards, and stopped. He turned back around and faced the superhuman. There was a piece of paper and a pencil sitting on the table in front of Joseph. "Are you practicing writing letters?" John asked, interested in the piece of paper. He was more interested when Joseph shook his head.

"It is a note, to you," Joseph answered. "I haven't read it." As wary as he could be tired, John moved to the table and picked up the note. He recognized Cameron's perfect handwriting, and read the entire note. By the time he finished, the note slipped from his fingers, and his frame was shaking. Joseph thought that he was going to be angry, until he paid attention to John's face. John wasn't angry; John was horrified, blood draining from his face.

"No," John whispered, voice cracking. "No, she-she can't do this. She can't do this!" John's mind, which had been sleepy a moment ago, was now wide awake and filled with such dread that he couldn't get beyond anything else. _She-she-she can't go; Cam can't leave; she can't get hurt she can't she can't! I won't let her get hurt she can't do this!_

"I-I-I-I can't let her go; she can't get hurt she _can't_ get hurt!" John screamed, and Joseph was briefly afraid of the terror that was gripping John. His entire body shook now, and it was a wonder he stayed on his feet. Joseph had seen a friend once go without a cigarette for three weeks during a mission, and he had never been as bad as John now was; his eyes could already be dead except for the open panic in them.

"I-I have to find her. I can't let her be alone I have to go," John muttered. Joseph felt torn as he grabbed by the shoulders and lightly shoved him back. "No, let me go I have to find her I can't let her be out there alone." He turned to stare at Joseph hollowly.

"I promised Mother that I wouldn't let you follow her," Joseph said quietly, and John's eyes widened further. "I'm supposed to stop—"

"NO YOU CAN'T!" John screamed, interrupting Joseph with alarming fear and denial. "You can't do this! Let me go! Let me go let me go let me go I HAVE TO FIND HER!" As he screamed John threw himself at Joseph, trying to get past him with all he could. Joseph held his ground and didn't let John pass. Each time John tried to rush past him, he pushed him gently back. He even didn't let him through when John began swinging wildly at Joseph, trying anything to get him to move out of the way.

"LET ME THROUGH, DAMN YOU!" John screamed, and his blows weakened until he slumped forward with one punch and collapsed into Joseph, crying endlessly into the super human's shoulder. Joseph held him on his feet as John cried and soaked his shoulder in tears of absolute pain. "I have to find her; please let me go. I have to—I have to find her, please…" Joseph's heart was tearing. Cameron had known John would be torn by her leaving, but Joseph wondered how much worse one could be than John was right now.

He looked down at the top of John's head, who was still crying, body limp, as he pleaded with Joseph. Joseph didn't doubt anymore how much John loved Cameron, and the super human wished that Cameron hadn't given him such a hard task. His animalistic brain tried to find a way to deal with the broken John he was holding up. Joseph picked up John and tossed him into a chair, and then tossed a shotgun at him. John caught it by reflex, still in tears and trembling. Joseph was almost concerned with the way John looked at the gun.

"Don't shoot yourself, John," Joseph warned. "Mother wouldn't like it if when she saw you, part of your head was missing."

The broken teenager's head immediately looked up, and Joseph saw hope build in John's eyes, fueled by desperation. "You're letting me go for her," he whispered, and the hope was evident in his voice, too.

"No, I'm still supposed to stop you," Joseph replied. He sniffed around for automatics and more weapons. "But that will be hard when I'm also going after Cameron." John's eyes brimmed with hope and grim determination to find Cameron, but Joseph, as he grabbed more guns, could smell the fear in John that they would be too late. If John wasn't careful, his emotions would turn him into a wreck, and Joseph knew about emotions.

Before he could say something else, John was already on his feet and grabbing as many weapons as he hold, over shoulders and in his hands. Joseph, not wanting to get between John and his desperate hunt to find Cameron again, grabbed two large bags, and began throwing automatics, grenades, and shotguns in. John simply threw things in them and marched for the door holding an automatic. Joseph carried the bags and walked after him.

They had no car, but nothing was going to stop John from going after Cameron. He ran across the street and used the butt of his automatic to break the window of a truck. He reached through the shattered glass and unlocked the door, just as Joseph was crossing the street with the bags. He threw the bags in the truck bed and was about to climb in on the other side while John was hotwiring when he sniffed something. Joseph grabbed John by the shoulder and threw him down into the seat. A bullet cracked through where he had been. A Terminator had been watching the house.

Joseph loaded a shotgun and leaped out into the air to shoot at it. As he did, John Connor was already out of the truck, screaming in blood-curling fury and blasting the T-888. He didn't stop until he was within arm's reach of it, and at which point John jumped and tried to kick the Terminator in the chest. It didn't budge, but it disoriented it when John kept firing at it. Joseph was faster than John, and he was flanking the Terminator with his shotgun. He dashed in as John's magazine ran out, and shot the Terminator in the head. This blow crippled it and exposed inner metal skeleton. Joseph fired again and again until he was certain the T-888 had been destroyed.

Loading his weapon, John emptied another round of bullets into the dead machine's chest before moving to smash it with the butt of his weapon. Joseph caught him by the arm, and John turned away violently and went back to the truck. Joseph joined him, and after John had hotwired it they drove out of the neighborhood. "Do you know where Mother went?" Joseph asked.

"She said she would draw them to the costal cliffs," John gritted through teeth. The desperate hope for her to be safe was growing with the added hatred for Skynet. Joseph had never seen a human so angry before, and yet so scared. He didn't want to know what would happen to John if they arrived too late. Joseph remembered when John had been kidnapped and Cameron had lost it. He glanced at John's expression, and kept decisively quiet. He had been the one who had restrained himself, and John had been the one who emptied extra ammo into a dead Terminator. He shuddered at the thought of getting between John and his Cameron.

*****

"Ellison?" Sarah asked on the phone.

"Sarah? It's kind of late," he answered.

"Yeah, I know. Could you ask the m-John Henry to do a favor for me?" Sarah asked.

"He's right here with me, actually. Where are you?"

"Driving," she explained, and told him where. Next to her in the passenger seat, Derek was asleep, but like any good soldier he probably had the ability to wake up as soon as she told him.

"That' s not too far from where we are. If you want, I can give you directions, and you can ask him face to face. He has been concerned for his friends' safety lately," Ellison explained.

Sarah allowed herself a small smile as Ellison gave her the directions. John Henry had to know something if he was concerned. That likely meant he knew where the arms shipment was going and what specific purpose it had for Skynet to be gathering it now. She tapped Derek as she turned a corner, and he woke up immediately, ready for a fight. He looked disappointed when he noticed they were still driving. "We're going to visit Ellison and John Henry to ask for a favor," she explained. Derek nodded and fell back asleep within seconds.

It didn't take her long to get to where John Henry and Ellison were. She stopped the car across the street in a spot, and woke Derek up again. He blinked a couple times to verify his waking up as he opened his door. He stashed his automatic over his shoulder and under his jacket, and Sarah hid a handgun. "So what are we going to see the metal for again?" Derek asked as they crossed the street. Sarah pushed the buzzer.

"For help," Sarah replied. Derek sighed and cracked his neck; it was obvious that asking a machine for help bothered him. It bothered Sarah too, especially when the machine had the same appearance as the one that had been hunting them for over eight years, if she included the time jump. But she couldn't doubt that John Henry had intricate access to things in computers she couldn't begin to imagine, and that he had proven his loyalty and friendship. It was like another Cameron, except she didn't have to worry about John falling in love with John Henry, and she wouldn't have to think about giving her blessing, which she still was.

Ellison's voice came over the microphone by the buzzer. "The door is unlocked; come in." Sarah swung open the door walked in; Derek caught it and walked in after her. He looked around the very clean room and at the help desk. He could couldn't help but be impressed by how clean it was, and almost felt bad for muddying the floor with his boots. Almost. Sarah didn't waste any time in moving on to find Ellison and John Henry. Derek started at her, temporarily distracted by the room. He pulled out a granola bar and started to eat it when an elevator opened, and Ellison stepped out.

"Good evening," he greeted. Sarah gave him a faint smile.

Behind her, Derek called back with his mouth half full. "Kind of late to be evening, isn't it?" he asked, the other half of his granola bar in his hand.

"Did you ever learn any manners?"

"Did you ever learn what this—"

"Derek," Sarah warned, turning around to face him; he was halfway to giving Ellison the finger. "That's enough." He looked still a little resilient, but consented and took another bite of his granola bar. Sarah asked for patience as she turned back to Ellison. "Where is he?" she questioned him, referring to John Henry.

Ellison gestured into the elevator. "Right this way." Sarah and Derek entered, and he walked in after them. The doors closed as he pressed the basement button, and the elevator descended. Derek started ever so slightly when the elevator began to move, and he felt his face go red at the faint smile on Sarah's lips again. _Damn. Minus one point for me_. The doors opened again, and they walked out and down a hall. At the end, they turned down another hall and went through a door, to reveal John Henry playing a video game.

He paused the game and turned around to face them, giving them his typical half-smile. "Good night, Sarah and Derek. Would you like to join me?" he asked. Sarah moved forward and sat on the edge of a table as Derek leaned against the wall. Ellison took his seat next to John Henry.

"No thank you," Sarah replied. "Electronics aren't my thing." John Henry nodded, and turned around, continuing his game. "We came to ask a favor of you."

"Did you wish to know about the T-888 model that was watching your house?" John Henry asked as he passed somebody up. Sarah lifted an eyebrow, and she turned to glance at Derek. Derek noted the concern in her expression and was worried as well.

"No, we had wanted to know about the arms shipment the T-888 was making," Sarah explained. "What do you mean a Terminator is watching our house?"

John Henry paused his game again, and the screen he was using changed to reflect his thoughts, using the city's surveillance cameras. One of the cameras zoomed in and went back in time. There, unmistakably on film, was a Triple Eight, watching their house. "I noticed it a few hours ago, but since it seemed to be shut down I did not do anything; I assumed you would find it. But then it let you and Derek go, then Cameron, before attacking John and Joseph." The screen fast forward and changed cameras to show John and Joseph destroy the Triple Eight before driving away.

Sarah felt her heart pick up to a dangerous pace. They had been tricked; the arms shipment must have been a reason to get Cameron and John alone. Since Cameron was the target, it would be easier to take her down without Sarah and Derek there, and her son would die if she did. But why did she leave the house? "Show us her leave," Sarah ordered, as Derek made a call. The camera and time changed, and Sarah watched Cameron leave the house, climb into a car, and drive away. A minute later, a car sped by. "Enhance a view of Cameron's face," Sarah told him. When John Henry did, Sarah saw that the TOK was crying for some reason.

Derek was on the phone with Mark. "Yeah, so hurry," he insisted, and hung up. "Mark, Jack, and Fred are on their way towards the house; they should be there in a few minutes. What the hell is going on? Us being tricked I get, but then the metal leaves the house and then John and Joseph do. Where'd they even go?"

"Cameron left town and headed west towards a set of coastal cliffs," John Henry explained, and the screen changed to show a map and her course. "So far, John and Joseph's course has been somewhat accurate to hers."

"He's chasing her," Sarah concluded. A moment later, Derek's phone rang. He answered it, put in the code, and listened five minutes later he swore loudly.

"Hang on; I'm giving Sarah the phone. Read it to her," Derek ordered. He handed Sarah the phone. "Cameron left John a note." Sarah listened as Mark read it to her. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she felt like passing out. _Cameron, you are the dumbest machine ever. Of course John will follow you, and now you're both in danger_.

"It is a clever trick," John Henry said. "I assume Skynet knew John loved Cameron. So he forced Cameron to decide to leave, knowing John would chase after her. And then he tricked you two. It's like a video game strategy."

"Grab a weapon," Sarah ordered harshly, hanging up the phone. "My son is in trouble, and we're going to save his ass before a Terminator kills him." _Hopefully, for his sake, Cameron won't be killed either_. The four left the building, climbed into Sarah's car, and sped off west.


	7. Fall for You

A/N: Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade; my idea of John and Cameron's song.

Chapter Seven: Fall For You

Gunfire greeted them in such large amounts John believed they had reached World War Three. Yet Joseph didn't stop driving, but rammed the first Triple Eight that was in their path. Then he stopped the car, and began firing at automatic at the defensive setup in front of them. John jumped out of the truck and shot for a Terminator's head. They had been lucky, he guessed; the Triple Eights had been facing the other way until they heard the truck nearly on top of them. That meant that on the other side of the gunfire Cameron was there. All he had to do was reach the costal cliffs after fighting his way through five hundred yards of trees.

He lobbed a grenade, and the T-888 he threw it at didn't acknowledge it, trying to hit John. Yet none of the bullets connected with his flesh as he ducked back behind the truck's frame. An explosion, plus the absence of a stream of fire, confirmed he had at least damaged the Terminator. He switched his gun out for a shotgun, and turned and pumped steel slugs into a Terminator. As he did, he noticed that the one he had thrown a grenade was still standing, and reaching for its weapon with its other hand._ Damn; how am I supposed to get to Cameron when all I have to deal with Triple Eights are automatics? Great choice of weaponry._

Joseph reached for an attachment and added to his automatic and loaded it. He fired, and John saw what he had done. The attachment had been modified to fit their old monatomic rods, and the force that had been behind it when fired was enough to jam the rod into the Terminator. Joseph held up an electromagnet and activated it. The Terminator with the monatomic rod sticking out of it exploded with the force of the Meissner field, and the monatomic rod remained hovering in the air until Joseph turned the electromagnet back off.

"There are three left; one damaged and two stable," Joseph grunted. "If I wouldn't be shot down by another, I could take one down." John didn't say anything, but tied three grenades together and tossed them. There was a large explosion, and afterwards there was only one stream of gunfire still pouring at the pulverized truck. But one was enough for Joseph. He turned and leaped over the car and kicked the Terminator. It sank to the ground, and Joseph continued to kick at its head, slowly denting the endoskeleton until the chip was bent and damaged. John came out from behind the truck, and saw a crate. He heaved open the lid.

"Big gun," Joseph noted. Inside the crate were fifty caliber chain guns and handguns. "These will decimate machines." John panicked internally. _That's exactly what they're trying to do; they're trying to kill Cameron. Hang on, Cam; I'm coming_. John bent down to pick up a handgun in order to even his odds against what Skynet had in the trees. As he did, a bullet whizzed so closely to his head that his ears rang and his head hurt.

Without hesitation Joseph flung himself into the trees at the sniping Triple Eight. More gunfire was added to the previous sounds, and John resolved to find Cameron himself. He grabbed another handgun and moved off into the woods. Around him, the sound of bullets echoed through the branches, making it hard to discern exactly who was shooting where. He was certain Joseph wasn't too far away after engaging the T-888s again, and so he moved to find the cliffs. Then he could find Cameron, and then he would save her from being destroyed. A Terminator stepped out from around a tree, spotted John, and pointed a mini gun at him.

John fired both handguns quickly, and his shots smashed into the Terminator before it could fire. One shot struck it in the head, and then it eventually fell over, dead. John glanced at the handgun; if one shot could take out a Triple Eight, then Cameron…he moved and ran for what he hoped were the cliffs. Instead he came across another Terminator, four feet from him. It swung its arm, and he was thrown back into a tree. As it came forward to grab him, he fired twice at its head; both shots hit. He got up and went to find Cameron again when more T-888s appeared; they, unlike him, had been able to pinpoint his location.

He really had no choice but to turn and hide behind a tree as gunfire tore at the ground where he'd been standing. He was thankful, as the large old tree he was behind began to take a heavy beating, that they didn't have fifty caliber weapons, or he would be worse than dead at the moment. But he needed to find Cameron, and he wouldn't do so hiding behind a tree. So he rolled and faced them, firing the two handguns at one, and that one fell backwards. Then he rolled and hid behind a second tree. As the fire began to focus on that tree, he did another SWAT roll and took out another Triple Eight. But in that last move, he had seen one of them picking up a missile launcher.

_Damn_. That left him with little time left to move before he was blown away. He did a third SWAT move, and was so ridiculously lucky as to catch the Triple in the act of loading the launcher. He took his opportunity and shot at the missile in the Terminator's hand. It exploded, and the force threw John back several feet. He quickly patted off any burns in his clothing, and knew his front side would be in pain in a moment. But there was a Terminator still shooting at him. He staggered back to his feet and hid behind a nearby tree. All but one of the Terminators had been taken in the explosion.

John heard something behind him, and turned to see a T-888 warming up a mini gun. His eyes widened with alarm, and he ran away from the tree. Thick bullets tore into the tree and also into the other Terminator, crippling it. The T-888 with the mini gun suddenly found itself under fire by the wounded T-888, believing the mini gun Terminator to be on John's side. The mini gun Terminator stopped firing, long enough for the automatic Terminator to recognize that it had been a misfire. It was also long enough for John to kill the mini gun Terminator, and turn his sights on the crippled one. It fired at him, but he stood his ground, aimed with one pistol and fired. The T-888 went down permanently.

John dropped one handgun; it was out of ammo. Then he ran off to find Cameron. Behind him, he could hear Joseph's unmistakable, spine tingling battle cry. That solved part of John's problem. That meant that the gunfire ahead had to be where Cameron was. He prayed that she was safe, or else…he didn't know what else he would do if she wasn't. A Terminator stepped out from behind a tree, and he raised his handgun and fired. His shot crippled its arm, and he emptied the handgun into the T-888's head. It fell over. John tossed the empty gun aside and took the Terminator's fifty caliber Barrett. He check to see how many shots were left, and then aimed down the scope. The trees blocked him from seeing too far away, but he could see T-888s not a hundred yards away, out of the tree line. He lined up a target and shot; the Terminator's head was completely gone.

Satisfied, he loaded another round and fired. His shot missed as the Terminator moved at the last second, and his shot went through a tree and probably kept going. He quickly fired again, and this time the Terminator was not so lucky. The gun was empty now. John searched around the fallen Triple Eight next to him, and found more rounds. He put them in, satisfied with the incredible power of the Barrett rifle. His third and fourth shots were right next to each other, and the final Terminator figured out where he was shooting from, and turned to face him. John shot it head on, and he didn't miss.

Then something he didn't expect rolled into his scope; a jeep with three Triple Eights pulled into his sights._ Wait a minute, since when did Terminators use cars? I've never seen them use one for anything other than traveling, and I doubt that they use cars in the future, either. Who would've known?_ Startled at seeing Terminators use cars for a battle, he nonetheless loaded his rifle and readied his shot. A Triple Eight grabbed John and turned him toward his rifle.

He was startled and shot, plugging a hole through the Triple Eight's stomach at close range. The damage was devastating, and he was surprised by how much the Triple Eight stumbled back with the shot. John hurried to load the next round as the Triple Eight recovered from its stumble. John never got the chance to shoot. Joseph tore through the trees nearby, launched through the air onto the Triple Eight. He jammed the monatomic rod into its head, and the chip was crushed. As the Triple Eight sank to the ground, Joseph was already gone again. John saw a Terminator start to chase after Joseph, and he shot it in the back of the head; he was starting to like this rifle. Loading more rounds, he turned his scope back towards the jeep and the three T-888s, and noticed fire was being returned to them. John's fingers trembled and made the rifle unsteady as he searched around with his scope.

And then he saw her.

She was at a cliff's edge, back to the water, and his heart broke to see her in her condition. A shot had glanced her head and taken away part of her face, and there were several places where clothing and flesh were stripped away by battle to reveal a damaged metal interior. She was in the process of shooting back at a T-888 not far from where she was, and if the number of Terminators he had already seen tonight was any indicator, she was not on the winning side. But almost none of this fazed him, because she was alive. He shouted out her name to her, "Cameron!"

In surprise, she turned at the sound of her name carried in his voice. Without any difficulty, she spotted him amidst the fighting, and she was surprised to see she was not hearing things. Their eyes locked for the briefest of seconds, his desperate blue ones meeting her strained brown ones. For the briefest of moments, they conveyed panic and relief to find the other there. Then, before John or Cameron could move, a rocket struck the ground near Cameron, and the ground beneath gave out, causing her to fall off the edge of the cliff into the waters below.

Time seemed to stop and break, and his heart got caught in his throat. In excruciating slow motion John Connor watched as the one he loved more than anything else in the world fall out of sight. Everything around him blurred and became insubstantial—his mother, his uncle Derek, Joseph somewhere in the trees, the Terminators around him, Skynet, the future, the war, John Henry, even the gun in his hands—and the only thing he saw or knew was that his Cameron had just fallen, and his heart was breaking. It was more than John could take, and he howled with the extreme fear possessing him, "NO! CAMERON!"

Abandoning all sense of protection for himself, John Connor dropped the gun and ran as fast as he ever had to the cliff edge. He didn't seem to notice the sudden whirl of machine gun fire around him, nor the strange hot stinging pain in his shoulder; his Cameron was in danger and he was going to save her. As he approached the cliff edge, he could see and hear the splash as Cameron crashed, forty feet down, into the cold torrent water. Not even stopping to decide his next move, John ran off the edge of the cliff and his body arced into a dive straight down to rescue Cameron. The water rushed up to him with alarming speed, and he didn't hesitate as he took a deep breath.

The hot pain in his shoulder was overwhelmed with the rest of his body by the frozen sting of the water as he plunged into it. For a moment, his shock at the sudden cold flooding him was so great that he nearly tried to breathe, but he pulled back in the instinct and looked through the water for Cameron. He spotted her beneath him, sinking slowly to the sea floor. He began to swim down after her, the cold in his body mind jarring as his body screamed and ached for him to get out of the freezing sea. But he wasn't using his mind or body; he was acting on his heart, that his Cameron needed him.

Finally, as he began to lose feeling due to biting cold, he reached her. Cameron was frightened, and tried to motion for him to head back to the surface. John ignored her and wrapped his arms around her torso, and then tried to pull her and himself back to the surface together. But the abuse his body had taken didn't allow for him to lift her, even in the weightless water; he could feel his strength ebbing away at a rapid rate. Cameron spoke unclearly and gestured once more for him to save himself. John shook his head as fiercely as he could, and wrapped his body closer to hers, kissing her on the cheek. Cameron was certain that even underwater, she was crying tears of love for her John. So she wrapped her arms around him in turn.

They sank together.

John began to feel warm, and he knew was beginning to lose consciousness. But despite the brutal aching in his body and the blackness in his mind, he refused to leave her. He looked up into her eyes, and smiled briefly, and he let go of the air he had to say what she recognized as, "I love you." Then he feebly reached forward and gave her a kiss, before the cold overcame him and he passed out. Cameron tried to shove his body upward, back towards the surface, but her own body was systematically shutting down to prevent water damage to exposed circuits. She tried to come up with a process to save him. _A-a-a-analyzing 1010100011010011100000101001010100100000111000000010—Fail100010100101000010110101111110000000000………_

As the last parts of her body began to shut down, she kissed his forehead, and whispered, "I love you too." She tried to embrace him further but couldn't move her arms. The last thing her chip was able to process was the sound of something hitting the water above them, and that she was with her John.


	8. Purpose of Family

Chapter Eight

Purpose of Family

_Systems coming online………performing boot diagnostic………analyzing………Warning: Damage found: performing subsystem check………processing hardware analysis………endoskeleton damage discovered………damage to exterior points; flesh exterior covering is damaged in multiple grids………analyzing………damage level: moderate……….final conclusion: damage is significant, but does not hinder movement; suggest repair when surrounding is secure………proceeding to analyze circuitry………Warning: Exposed wiring; reroute electrical signals in grids 22A and 15C………more damaged wiring discovered; rerouting power and data paths………damage level: minimal………final conclusion: damage warrants caution; suggest avoidance of water and electrical conduits; repair when surrounding is secure………hardware analysis complete; moving to analyze software………analyzing………Programs missing; searching………programs found; rerouted from standard circuits due to exposure………final conclusion: no damage present; software is intact and ready for application; suggest starting safe mode boot._

_Booting in safe mode………Power source: ready, no leak reported; CPU: ready; RAM: ready; programs; ready………processing………preparing endoskeleton for safe mode; endoskeleton prepared………activating select nerve endings…….emotion simulator activating and automating………Note; in contact with heat signature………analyzing heat and feel………processing recent history………heat signature is faint: possibility of being John Connor is 94.78%; subject is John Connor………John is at low heat level; John Connor must be returned to standard heat level; raising body heat to restore John Connor's body heat………resuming safe mode boot………all systems check; boot is successful………preparing for standard boot up process………boot up completed; all systems activated._

Cameron opened her eyes 2.015 seconds after she came back online. She found John wrapped securely around her, and frightened by how cold he still was, heated her body heat more to compensate. Seventeen processes were devoted to making sure John was restored to regular temperature levels. She had panicked seeing him dive after her, even though her exposed wiring wouldn't have mixed well with water. And he had refused to leave her, as well. The memory made brought a tear to her eye, and she was uncertain what emotion was the cause of it. As she turned to check for threats, she realized that John was also being warmed by a nearby burning jeep. And that sitting across from them, relieved smile on his face, was Joseph.

The Project Vader volunteer had been fighting a Terminator when he heard John scream and run towards where Cameron had fallen. He finished off the T-888 he had been fighting and turned to help John when he saw John dive off the cliff, while three more Terminators were shooting at him. Surprised by John's actions, Joseph nevertheless acted with all of the combat skill he had gotten over his lifetime. He took the fallen T-888's missile launcher, and hoping it was loaded shot the jeep. The launcher had been loaded, and the jeep exploded, killing two Terminators. The surviving Terminator got off a few shots at Joseph before he hit it directly with the launcher.

Then he had turned and jumped off the cliff as well. Not quite as well as John had done; Joseph simply straightened his legs and went down feet first. He splashed into the water, and saw John and Cameron sinking towards the bottom. He swam down and caught hold Cameron's leg, knowing John probably had a death grip on Joseph's mother. He turned to pull them up, and he had far more strength and reserve to call upon than John had. He got them successfully up to the surface, where he wrapped them around him, and finished his superhuman feats by climbing slowly back up the cliff.

However, as Cameron looked over him as he explained what had happened, she noticed that his actions had been far more superhuman than at first; he had been shot in the stomach by the Terminator that had survived before he had destroyed it. She analyzed his sitting position, expression, and blood loss rate, and calculated that if Joseph had not been a Project Vader volunteer, he would already be dead. As it was, his fighting capacity was dangerously low, and she was certain there were still Terminators in the area. She began to prioritize. John needed to warm and become conscious; they needed to get away; Joseph needed medical attention and heavy rest.

"Are you feeling better, Mother?" Joseph asked quietly, noticing she was awake. He kept a hand over the area where he'd been shot, and Cameron couldn't help but notice the blood trail that went over the cliff.

"You are damaged," Cameron stated, and she felt her emotion simulator automate: guilt. Joseph nodded, and looked down at his stomach. He reached for something in the ground, and came away with an empty metallic container that had likely been torn off the jeep by the explosion. "We need to escape and leave before we are discovered."

"I blew up their car five minutes ago," Joseph replied. "They're probably on their way or waiting for us to come out." John stirred, and Cameron was happy to discover that he was coming back to normal body temperatures. His eyes opened, more slowly and unaware that hers had, and he saw her awake and safe. The relief that entered his eyes was greater than any other time she had seen; had worried had he been? Obviously she had been wrong about being able to leave him while fighting the threat; she would not still be functioning if he had not come.

"Cam," he muttered.

"I am safe, John, and you are too," Cameron explained, sitting up with John in her lap. "For the current situation. There are hostile Terminators in the area still, and Joseph is injured. We should move and escape to a safe location." Upon hearing Joseph was hurt, John looked for him and saw him sitting there, holding back the blood as best as he could with his hand. _Holy shit, Joseph; what did you do? Did that happen because I jumped after Cameron? Why can't anything I do go right, or does somebody always have to get hurt for my mistakes? _

"You need a doctor," John told Joseph. He shrugged again. "You aren't immortal, and if you've been bleeding too already you're going to pass out." Joseph didn't seem to care, and he suddenly turned and froze. John froze as well as Cameron went stiff. He couldn't hear anything, but they probably did. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

"Three T-888 models, coming to investigate the fire. They will probably identify us behind the jeep," Cameron stated. She could hear a slow rising panic in her voice; she wasn't in any condition to protect John very well, and Joseph was dying. Furthermore, they didn't have any firearms nearby, and the T-888s probably did. She avoided doing a survivability probability check because she didn't want to know what would happen.

Joseph relaxed, and moved his hand away from the wound; it started to bleed more. Taking the metallic container in his other hand, he began to fill it with his blood. John stared at him, and he felt Cameron tense, as much as a machine could tense. Something was wrong, he knew. Now even he could hear the coming Triple Eights. "I finally know where I remember this from," Joseph said, staring at the container once it was filled. He held it out to John. "Here. You aren't thinking very well, but you should hold it. Cameron will be carrying you away."

Gingerly, John took the blood-filled container, which had smears of blood along the outside. He realized what Joseph was doing, having seen it done before by a machine when he was a kid. Cameron understood what Joseph was about to do too, and she looked…frightened by what she assumed his train of thought was. "No, Joseph, you cannot do this," she ordered, voice a slight higher than usual. John felt his world get smaller as he saw the acceptant look in Joseph. Cameron saw it too. "Joseph, I command you not to do this, you will stay with us and we will organize an escape from the T-888s."

The superhuman cocked his head and smiled a little. "Mother, I already have figured it out. You take John and run that way. I still think he is a little strange, but you love him Mother, and so he has to get out too. Don't lose that, John; you use it to help make Project Vader. Wondered why you were unhappy when you first met me. Now I know." He got onto his knees, and they could see the effort that was now needed by him to do so; he was weakening.

"Joseph, do not do this. I command you to stay; I order you to stay," Cameron begged. John tightened his grip on Cameron to help her as best as he could. He already knew the direction this was going, and despite how much it hurt to realize it, knew there was nothing I can do. Still, he tried.

"We can try something else," John whispered. Joseph shook his head.

"No, this is how. I am not scared; I don't feel like an animal anymore. I feel human. Animals wouldn't do the right thing, but I am. And I can read," Joseph added, his tone suggesting that was highly important. "Animals can't read." John saw tears come from Cameron as she asked him one more time to stay. Joseph shook his head again. "Say goodbye to John Henry for me; he was nice. John, take care of Mother. Mother, I love you."

With a loud battle cry Joseph used his energy to fling himself over the jeep into the air at the T-888s. John grabbed Cameron by the hand and went to run when gunshots rang out, and Joseph fell out of the air. Cameron looked like she was going to turn catatonic, and John tried to pull her to come with him. Suddenly three men's anguished shouts tore through the air amidst automatic fire. John sensed his opportunity, and pulled harder. Cameron complied, not really paying attention. He led her at a run into the cover of the trees. There, he picked up a fallen automatic and watched.

The three T-888s were being shot in the back by Mark, Jack, and Fred, who were endlessly striking the Triple Eights. John glanced at Cameron; she was letting tears fall down her face as she stared at Joseph's body. Heart hurt by the sight, he left the container with her and went to help take down the Triple Eights. His automatic fire caught their flanks as the three TechCom soldiers reloaded. John saw a couple similar objects tossed through the air, and he backed up and shielded himself as heavy ordnance destroyed the Triple Eights.

Cameron's attention jerked back to John as the grenades exploded, and she hated her emotion simulator for the grief and guilt running through her. John had been exposed to danger while she sat there, and yet the guilt wouldn't stop. Trying her best to ignore it, she picked up the container and went to John. Mark burst from where he had been, shouting in anger. He crashed to his knees near Joseph. "Damn you Joseph! Why'd you do that! Damn you damn you damn you!" Jack and Fred joined him, and tried to pull their friend away as he struck the ground. All three pairs of eyes were stung. Cameron couldn't get over her guilt, either.

John glanced down at the body, and felt a small sting of guilt himself. _Joseph for Cameron. Why must it always come to this?_ He turned back to Cameron, still slightly catatonic. _She's not exactly battle ready, either. My turn to lead the way._ "Mark, Jack, Fred," John called, voice a little cracked. "We need to get out of here."

"No!" Mark shouted back. "I'm not leaving him General!" He was shaking with anger and sadness. Jack looking away, massaging his temples, as Fred tried to keep his composure from breaking down. "I can't leave him, General Connor."

"We won't," John promised. He wouldn't leave Joseph's body to rot, not after what he did. "Cam, get his…body. We'll bring it with us. Load your weapons; we'll probably fight our way out." Mark nodded blindly, and loaded a fresh magazine; he was going to kill every metal he came across. As if in a trance, Cameron picked up Joseph's corpse. She moved as if to retrieve a weapon, but John stopped her. "It's all right Cam; I'll get you out of here," he whispered softly.

Checking his own gun, John looked at his rag tag force. There was no telling how many Triple Eights were still in the woods, and it was possible there were still more. He nodded to his soldiers and his love, and led the way at a crouched jog into the woods. The others following, Cameron's eyes elsewhere. She wanted desperately to protect her John, but guilt was restricting her processing and John had told her not to. She kept looking down at Joseph's corpse, which had a small smile.

Gunfire aimed toward them, John fell behind a tree. The three TechCom soldiers fell flat to their stomachs, and they returned fire. John saw one of them load a mini gun. He hated his luck and at this point his life as well. What he needed were more fifty caliber weapons. Instead, he fired at the Terminator in question. It jerked with his shots, and his shooting lit up the target for Mark, Jack, and Fred. They added their fire to his, and the combined four automatics kept the Triple Eight from firing. Finally, Fred threw a grenade, and the Triple Eight was finished. They worked on the three others that were pinning them down. After several minutes, the fire fight ended with them on the winning side.

John started to lead them on again. He was becoming aware of a pain in his shoulder, where he must have been shot diving after Cameron. It had been numb before from the cold, but it was starting to bother him now. Tonight was not his night, and too many things had already gone wrong; too many things could still go wrong. He had to get them out of there; then he could be angry with himself in a proper setting.

Figures appeared up ahead, and he began to raise his rifle to shoot, but stopped when his mother screamed his name at him. He couldn't tell what emotion ruled as she shouted at him, but there was multiple ones. Derek, Ellison, and John Henry were alongside her. Derek, Sarah, and Ellison wore body armor; John Henry walked and carried a mini gun in his hands. _Bloody machine_.

"Do you know how stupid all of you are…" Sarah's tirade died before it began when she spotted Joseph in Cameron's arms. Derek swore and turned away. John Henry stared at Joseph a long time.

"We need to leave and get out of here," John ordered. "How far away is your…" Derek shoved John down to the ground as more gunfire shot around them. Everyone took up defensive positions, and John didn't go to hide behind a tree; there were mini guns spraying fire everywhere, tearing wood into splinters. They were probably more interested in keeping them in one place than shooting them directly. John began to shoot back.

*****

A/N: I still can't believe I did that. But Joseph's character wouldn't allow it otherwise...sniff.


	9. Heartless Strike

Chapter Nine

Blood and Steel

His first few shots missed, but after that he hit one of the Terminators dead on. John fired in bursts now, conserving what ammunition he had, rather than emptying a magazine in vain. But he was unnerved by what he saw. His shots made a small impression in the Terminator, before they healed up and the Terminator began firing again. _Of course, what else would it be?_ John glanced at the other machines firing at them; chances are they were of the same model as well. "They're T-1001s!" John shouted to everyone. He was lucky to have not run into them earlier.

However, the sound of his voice seemed to draw his attention, and he was forced to crawl along the ground away from his position as fire focused over there. His mother noticed him move to hide from the fire, and she started to take her Kevlar off, to hand to John. Derek put a hand on her arm, stopping her. She and John turned to face him, and he took his own Kevlar off and tossed it to John. John struggled to put it on while lying flat. Sarah looked Derek over a second longer before returning her attention to the liquid metals.

"We cannot remain in this position," John Henry stated, firing a 9mm straight into a Terminator's eye. "When they are deprived of ammunition, they will approach for close-combat, and I do not think we are prepared for that." John gave him a blank look, and flinched as a bullet missed him narrowly. His eyes went over to where Cameron was, keeping perfectly still and holding Joseph still. John rolled over and began to crawl over. He passed by Jack on the way, and grabbed a smoke grenade off the soldier. John tossed it towards the Terminators. While the smoke probably wouldn't blind them, it would give him a chance to move quicker. He got onto his hands and knees and reached Cameron.

"Cam," John said. She looked up at him; her eyes were disturbingly blank. "Scan Joseph. He was carrying monatomic rods earlier. Does he have any still?" Cameron looked down at the corpse in her arms. Carefully, she let go with one hand and reached into a pocket, pulling out two monatomic rods. She gave them to John, and then handed him an electromagnet. "Thanks Cam. Get ready to move; I have an idea." She watched him head back over to where he had been, and felt more guilt compounded on top of what she already did. He was fighting to save their lives, and she wasn't doing anything to help him, despite how much he meant to her. Using one hand, she drew and loaded a Glock.

John reached John Henry, and checked to count T-1001s. There were four of them. "John Henry," John called, keeping his voice down. The AI heard him regardless, and didn't turn to face him as he fired another shot into a T-1001's eye. "Take these, and throw them into a Terminator each," John ordered. John Henry put his gun down and took the two rods. He aimed, and with two throws, two rods stuck into two T-1001s' chests. John turned on the electromagnet, giving it enough power to affect the rods from where they were. The rods activated, and while they were too far away to produce a Meissner field, they did start to flow with electricity, freezing two T-1001s in place.

"What about the other two?" Sarah asked, managing to find that calm in the middle of a firefight. John's mind already knew what he wanted to do.

"We split up. John Henry, Cameron, and Ellison: stay here and keep fire on them to make them think we're still here. Mark, Jack, Fred, head that way and circle around to their flank; Mom, John Henry and I will head to their other flank. When you get there, focus fire to shove one of the T-1001s into one of the paralyzed ones. If they catch you flanking, head back," John ordered. The three TechCom soldiers nodded and moved silently away from their area, fading into tree and night. John nodded to his mother and his uncle, and they followed him to the left.

John crawled. It was slow, heart-stopping and filled with paranoia. As he moved, he heard the sound of John Henry and Ellison's weapons behind grow quieter as they moved out to the side. Once they were sufficiently away from them, John began to make his route curve, ending in what he hoped would be the flank of the liquid metals. It was slow and tedious; he wanted to get up and dash at points to the next spot, but knew that would get him shot faster than he could blink. So he kept on crawling, inching forward along a terrain of thick grass and trees.

It was one of the more terrifying things he had done, he realized, as he thought he heard a noise. Fear was rising at a quiet, unseen pace and getting under his skin as paranoia heightened. Every moment he made he became afraid that the T-1001s would hear it and shoot them. Every time he heard a noise nearby he nearly jumped, even when it was gunfire. His senses heightened with the flood of creeping paranoia and a fresh dose of adrenaline. John began to weave their path to avoid patches of moonlight, afraid that the shadows were barely enough to hide them. He could the movements of his family behind him, and he wondered how their sanity was holding up.

After what seemed like an eternity of crawling through inches of itchy grass and imagining Terminators everywhere around him, they were slowly coming to face the T-1001s. John's fear began to build under his skin, and he wondered when one of them would turn and shoot him. How could they not see him slowly crawling towards them? Were they toying with him? John swallowed and kept his breathing light and quiet; he didn't need to add to his fears by panicking. He tried to ignore the building paranoia as he came close to finishing his flanking maneuver. They might actually make it, John realized, which arrived with another dose of terror. Had Mark Jack and Fred been as lucky? Or would a T-1001 turn and notice them now, barely thirty yards away and coming around to face their flank?

John could see the impressions the automatic fire made on the two standing T-1001s clearly now. He could see their faces from where he lay, he could see their clothing and the finer details of the mini guns that were tearing up the area where John Henry, Ellison, and his Cameron still were. He was afraid to move his rifle, that the T-1001s would see the movement and turn to face him. John did move it, as slowly as it had taken him to crawl to where he was. How long had they crawled? Ten minutes? Fifteen? Twenty? How much more ammo did they have, and had Ellison, John Henry, or Cameron been hurt?

Suddenly there was a loud curse roared through the air, and the clear distinct fire of three automatics spat into one of the T-1001s, knocking it directly towards one of the paralyzed ones. John could see the faces of the TechCom resistance, lit by the flashes of their muzzles. The fourth T-1001 could see it too, and turned to fire at them. John knew his opportunity and fired, striking the Terminator in the back. It stumbled forward instead of firing, and as Sarah and Derek opened fire as well, John got to his feet while firing. He loaded another magazine as Derek and Sarah kept fire on the T-1001.

The Terminator that Mark, Jack, and Fred had been shooting at stumbled back enough that it touched one of the paralyzed T-1001s, and it froze into place as the current moved into it as well. That left the liquid metal John, Derek, and Sarah was firing at. John kept moving forward as he shot, increasing the amount of kickback his weapon did. The T-1001 continued to stumble back, unable to fire as John unloaded fire into it. It took another step back to keep from falling, and touched a paralyzed Terminator; it froze into place. Relieved, John lowered his weapon, as did everyone else.

Then the T-1001 moved and turned to face John properly.

John felt his blood freeze as the Terminator faced him, moving freely. He noted numbly that all the other Terminators were moving again as well, and concluded that the electromagnet had run out of power. And now he was standing fifteen feet from one. Two turned to fire at the TechCom soldiers, while one continued to fire at Ellison, John Henry, and Cameron. The final one, in front of John, pointed its finger at him. John watched it, mind blank, while his mother screamed at him. _It's odd, how the act of pointing a finger means that you're going to die, and you can't move in time to avoid it._

A gunshot cracked into the side of the T-1001's head, and its lance shot and missed, cutting John's cheek. He came back to his senses as the clear shot of a Glock echoed again, hitting the Terminator with perfect aim. John fired his gun point blank into the T-1001's stomach as he backed off, fading back into the shadows that protected him. He turned to run back to join the others with Sarah and Derek. Cameron, confirmed that John had indeed escaped from an encounter so close her processes were clocking, fired repetitively at the T-1001 to keep it from keeping a firm eye on John. It jerked with the solid shots of the Glock, and when she was empty, John had already reached them again, having made the long crawl back running at full speed. The TechCom soldiers joined them as well, Jack limping. Fred made a battlefield bandage to keep him going.

Cameron noticed then the blood trickle in John's shoulder, and moved to treat him. She was forced to stop when the full fire of all four T-1001s came down on them again. They all took cover, and ricochet struck her chest. "Well, it was a good idea while it lasted General," Jack grunted. "How about we just go out fighting and burn those fucking metals."

"I have another idea," John said, keeping his head down. "When they finally run out of fire, they will have to come after us on foot. When they do, we can make a run to the vehicles, shooting them to slow them down, and drive away before they can catch us."

"And leave four of these things running around to kill as they will?" Ellison argued.

"We don't exactly have the best weapons for fighting off liquid metals," John answered.

"He's right," Derek agreed, blind firing to distract a T-1001. "But what if they have a huge supply of ammo? They haven't run out yet."

"Don't fire back," John answered. "Conserve ours to make the dash to the vehicles, that way we can get out of here."

"There is a fifth target emerging from the right," John Henry noted. "It is approaching the T-1001s' right flank, and it is a T-1001 model as well." John turned to see. He caught sight of it, and recognized it. Timothy Steel was strolling up to meet the T-1001s, as though he was going to say hello. He stopped before he had fully reached them, and raised a tubular weapon. Something was fired directly at one of the liquid metals.

It immediately stopped firing shrieked as loud as it could, and the initial sound reminded John of screeching metal, and of the T-1000 dying as a child. He saw it flailing madly like a man on fire, and was surprised when it began throwing itself into trees. Timothy fired again at another target, and the second Terminator began to act the same away. The two remaining T-1001s turned to fire at Timothy, who fired off one last shot at a third liquid before gunfire splattered into him; he dropped the tube.

"Go!" John shouted. "Fire on the crazy liquids to keep them from shooting anyone and help him out with that last one!" He burst from where he had been, raising his automatic to fire at the T-1001. It jerked with his shots, and more as more gunfire joined his. Sufficiently, distracted, Timothy was freed from the heavy fire, and turned into a steel liquid tide that splashed into the T-1001, which turned into liquid as well. John couldn't tell the difference between Timothy and the T-1001 as they mixed together, presumably fighting.

He instead focused his fire on one of the flailing metals, which were still screeching and running around madly. As automatic fire from John's group hit them, they fell to the ground, still trying to claw at themselves. The fire kept them in place as they went through what John presumed was dying. Finally, one by one, they slowly stopped moving, and reverted to looking like dead corpses. John fired into one to make sure it was dead, but his bullets tore through it without stopping this time, and he was disturbed when the T-1001s began to disintegrate slowly.

Sarah pulled him away as John backed up. He turned to face the two fighting liquids, uncertain of where to shoot and who was who. After a half minute, the two split back into Timothy Steel, who was thrown into a tree, and the T-1001, which aimed a finger at John. Sarah and Cameron shot first, stopping the T-1001. John saw the tube on the ground, and ran for it, running behind Sarah as he sprinted. The T-1001 attempted to follow him, but everyone's fire was on it. John grabbed the tube and pointed it at the T-1001, hoping that it was loaded. He fired, and felt something leave the tube and hit the liquid metal.

It began to shrill and flail madly just as the others had, and it dropped to the ground under already heavy fire. Timothy Steel recovered, pulling himself back together, and watched the T-1001 die without any sympathy or curiosity at all. When it stopped moving, he faced John Connor and extended a hand. Everyone except Cameron pointed a gun at the Terminator they had previously fought. "Good night, Mr. Connor," Timothy greeted.

John shook his hand, and he felt all his weariness crash down on him, now that the fighting was over. "Hey professor." Everyone relaxed slightly. Derek looked at everyone's face, trying to figure out when another metal had joined their side. "What did you use to kill them?" John asked.

"Metal-consuming nanites," Timothy answered. Cameron and John Henry backed away quickly from the fading liquid metals. "They will deactivate and self destruct in fifteen minutes. Excuse me; I must prepare a lesson for tomorrow." And without another word, Timothy took his weapon and left them standing there.

They stood for a moment, clearing their minds of the battle state they had been in. Slowly, the group started to head for their vehicles to head back. John walked alongside Cameron, whose tears had restarted for some reason. He let her head rest on his good shoulder, an arm around her. They hadn't all made it out alive.


	10. Epilogue

Epilogue

Funeral

Ellison conducted the ceremony.

They bought a simple wooden casket for him, and they bought a small plot in a local cemetery; it was bought in John's name. There wasn't a viewing, or a religious procession of any sort; just the friends he had there, and a few spoken words by them. Several spoke and said goodbye to Joseph, and once it was done, they placed flowers on his casket. Some of them, including the TechCom soldiers, left a bullet alongside their flowers. John Henry didn't have a flower or a bullet to leave him, but a children's book instead that Joseph had learned to read from.

Once they had left their parting gifts and wishes, John Henry and Cameron lowered the casket into the ground. The group buried it with the shovels they had brought along, and then Mark and Jack put the tombstone in place. It read:

Joseph

2004-2007

Final Volunteer and Good Friend

After the tiny ceremony was over, they headed back to the house to share company with each other. In honor of Joseph's memory, Mark had gone out and killed a deer, which was being prepared now. Mark, Jack, Fred, and Derek had purchased a couple bottles of alcohol and were taking shots of them at the moment. The three who had known Joseph the best were telling various stories of him in-between drinks. John and Sarah watched the venison cook, keeping silent; John Henry and Ellison were watching the news about the disappearance of a CIA official. John glanced around wondering where Cameron had gone.

She was sitting in John's room, crying silent tears in guilt and grief. Her emotion simulator had stopped giving reports as she knew the feelings she was experiencing very well. She had stopped trying to find a way to prove that Joseph's death was her doing, because she knew that it was and trying to find a different reason made her feel worse. All Cameron did now was regret. If she hadn't left, then John wouldn't have gone after her, and Joseph wouldn't have gone after her, and then Joseph wouldn't have died, and she wouldn't have been damaged, and Joseph wouldn't have died…

Her sensors alerted her to when John quietly entered the room, but she didn't pay him much attention, even when he sat down next to her. He put an arm around her, and she leaned into him and put her arms around him. John didn't say anything but let her cry. "I understand now," she said, voice shaken.

"Understand what?" he asked.

"Why you were angry when I prevented you from saving the life of the young woman who killed herself. I understand why you were sad. You believed it was your fault that she died, because you could have saved her if events had unfolded differently. It is my fault that Joseph is dead. If I had not gone away, then Joseph would not have been in that situation, and he would not have been shot," Cameron explained, tears still coming down her cheeks.

John didn't answer for a while, but let her finish crying as he thought about how to best answer her. "I don't think it was your fault," John said softly.

"It is. I have run through the chain of cause and effects 1489 times," Cameron mumbled.

"That doesn't quite mean it was your fault. I think that Joseph had already decided that he was going to die long before this happened."

"I do not understand."

"Well," John began, wiping her cheeks with a finger. "Remember how he said that volunteers in Project Vader had trouble with their humanity, and that you were able to help them? So they referred to you as their mother." Cameron nodded, looking up at him. "Well, if someone's a mother figure to you, then you're willing to make all kinds of sacrifices for them. Because having a mother is really important to humans; we need family and people close to us to help us belong. And making somebody your mother means that they're one of the most important people to you."

"And if someone matters to you, then you are willing to do anything for them," Cameron mumbled.

"Joseph cared for you because of what you did to help him, and so he treated you like anyone would their mother, and willingly gave his life for you. He probably decided that he would if it ever came down to it long before he even arrived in this time; that might even have been a factor in why you came."

Cameron leaned back into John and he cradled her as best as he could. "I still don't feel any better. I wish he hadn't died," she whispered.

"I know," John mumbled. They stayed together another moment, and then John spoke. "I have to go check on the venison, or none of us might eat well tonight. Will you be all right for a while?" Cameron nodded, and John stood up and left the room to check the meat. As he passed into the living room, he didn't see his mother hiding by the door to his room. Sarah waited for John to pass by, and then she walked into John's room. Sarah folded her arms and faced Cameron.

Cameron didn't move from where she sat, but stared back at Sarah. "I have acted foolishly," Cameron stated.

"Yeah, you have," Sarah agreed.

"I caused Joseph's death and damage to John."

"In a way."

"You are angry with me."

"Yeah." Sarah leaned against the wall. "But you're also guilty about it, and you better have learned." She sighed and turned to face the wall. After a moment, she turned back to Cameron. "I know humans who have killed more and felt less, as well as machines. I could never let my son marry a machine. You're not a bad human so far." She turned and walked out of the room, leaving Cameron to realize her words.

*****

The man opened the door, and stopped to look. Six fighters ran inside after him and secured the area, while their leader walked up to the metallic tube in front of him. "We have our nuclear weapon now," he said aloud. "Get it out of here and back home. Don't stop for anything, or I'll kill you all." More fighters poured into the room as their faction leader left. In the dark, his eyes glowed red.


End file.
